Intrahepatic bile duct adenoma in a patient with chronic hepatitis B accompanied by elevation of alpha-fetoprotein

A 51-year-old male patient with chronic hepatitis B was referred to our hospital due to a 1-cm liver nodule on ultrasonography. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) was slightly elevated. The nodule showed prolonged enhancement on dynamic liver magnetic resonance imaging and appeared as a hyperintensity on both diffusion-weighted and T2-weighted imaging. The nodule was followed up because it was small and typical findings of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were not observed in the dynamic imaging investigations. However, liver contrast-enhanced ultrasonography performed 1 month later showed enhancement during the arterial phase and definite washout during the delayed phase. Also, AFP had increased to over 200 ng/mL even though AST and ALT were decreased after administering an antiviral agent. He was presumptively diagnosed as HCC and underwent liver segmentectomy. Microscopy findings of the specimen indicated bile duct adenoma. After resection, the follow-up AFP had decreased to within the normal range. This patient represents a case of bile duct adenoma with AFP elevation mimicking HCC on contrast-enhanced ultrasonography

Does the father’s job matter? Parental occupation and preterm birth in Korea

OBJECTIVES Limited evidence is available regarding the impact of paternal occupation and its combined effect with maternal occupation on preterm birth. Therefore, we assessed the association of maternal and paternal occupations with preterm birth. METHODS We used the national birth data of Korea between 2010 and 2020. Parental occupations were divided into 5 categories: (1) managers; (2) professionals, technicians, and related workers; (3) clerks and support workers; (4) service and sales workers; and (5) manual workers. A multinomial logistic regression model was used to calculate the adjusted odds ratios (aORs) of extremely, very, and moderate-to-late preterm births per occupational category considering individual risk factors. RESULTS For the 4,004,976 singleton births, 40.2% of mothers and 95.5% of fathers were employed. Compared to non-employment, employment was associated with a lower risk of preterm birth. Among employed mothers, service and sales occupations were associated with a higher risk of preterm birth than managerial occupations (aOR, 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01 to 1.10 for moderate-to-late preterm births). The father’s manual occupation was associated with a higher risk of preterm birth (aOR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.05 to 1.13 for moderate-to-late preterm) than managerial occupations. When both parents had high-risk occupations, the risk of preterm birth was higher than in cases where only the mother or neither of the parents had a high-risk occupation. CONCLUSIONS Paternal occupation was associated with preterm birth regardless of maternal employment and occupation and modified the effect of maternal occupation. Detailed occupational environment data are needed to identify the paternal exposures that increase the risk

The increased risk of colorectal cancer in the women who underwent hysterectomy from the South Korean National Health Insurance Database

Abstract Background Several population-based studies and observational studies have shown that oophorectomy is associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), and hormone replacement therapy has been associated with a reduction in the risk of colorectal cancer. This study was carried out to investigate whether hysterectomy, which may affect the levels of female hormones, is associated with a risk of cancer of the specific gastrointestinal tract. Methods This population-based retrospective cohort study was conducted using insurance data provided by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) from January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2020. The hysterectomy group included 40- to 59-year-old women who underwent hysterectomy with uterine leiomyoma or uterine endometriosis from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2014. The control group included women aged 40 to 59 years who visited medical institutions for medical examination from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2014. Results The hysterectomy and non-hysterectomhy groups comprised 66,204 and 89,768 subjects, respectively. The median ages in the non-hysterectomy group and hysterectomy group were 48 (range: 43–53) and 46 (range: 44–49) years, respectively. In the unadjusted results of the analysis, all colorectal cancer (CRC) increased in the hysterectomy alone group (HR 1.222, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.016–1.47, p = 0.033), sigmoid colon cancer increased in the hysterectomy alone group (HR 1.71, 95% CI 1.073–2.724, p = 0.024), and rectal cancer increased in the hysterectomy with adnexal surgery group (HR 1.924, 95% CI 1.073–2.724, p = 0.002). The adjusted results showed that all CRC increased in the hysterectomy alone group (HR 1.406, 95% CI 1.057–1.871, p = 0.019), colon cancer increased in the hysterectomy alone group (HR 1.523, 95% CI 1.068–2.17, p = 0.02), and rectal cancer increased in the hysterectomy with adnexal surgery group (HR 1.933, 95% CI 1.131–3.302, p = 0.016). The all-cause mortality of GI cancer increased in the hysterectomy alone group (HR 3.495, 95% CI 1.347–9.07, p = 0.001). Conclusions This study showed that the risk of all CRC increased in women who underwent hysterectomy compared with women who did not. In particular, the risk of rectal cancer was significantly higher in the women who underwent hysterectomy with adnexal surgery than in the controls. There was no association between hysterectomy and other GI cancers

Metabolically-healthy obesity is associated with higher prevalence of colorectal adenoma

<div><p>Background</p><p>The risk of colorectal adenoma (CRA), an important precursor of colorectal cancer, is largely unknown among obese individuals without obesity-related metabolic abnormalities, a condition described as metabolically-healthy obese (MHO). The aim of this study was to examine the association among metabolic status, the different categories of body mass index (BMI), and CRA in a large cohort of adults.</p><p>Methods</p><p>We analyzed the association among metabolic status, BMI categories and CRA in asymptomatic adults who underwent a first-time colonoscopy as part of the comprehensive health check-up program at the Health Promotion Center of Samsung Medical Center, from January 2005 to December 2012. Being metabolically healthy was defined as lacking any metabolic syndrome components and having a homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance <2.5.</p><p>Results</p><p>The prevalence of “any,” “multiple,” and “high-risk” CRA was 25.6%, 8.3%, and 4.4% among 9,182 metabolically-healthy participants, and 35.9%, 12.5%, and 7.0% among 17,407 metabolically-unhealthy participants, respectively. Increased BMI showed a significant dose-dependent relationship with the prevalence of “any,” “multiple,” and “high-risk” CRA, in both metabolically-healthy and unhealthy participants. In multivariable-adjusted models that accounted for potential confounders including age, sex, smoking, alcohol, first-degree family history of colorectal cancer, and aspirin use, the odds ratio (OR) for any CRA comparing MHO with metabolically-healthy normal-weight (MHNW) participants was 1.25 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.09–1.43). Further adjustment for metabolic components associated with obesity did not significantly change the association. Similarly, the ORs for multiple CRAs and high risk CRA were higher in MHO participants than MHNW participants [ORs (95% CI), 1.63 (1.31–2.04) and 1.53 (1.14–2.04), respectively].</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>The MHO phenotype was closely associated with higher prevalence of CRA, including high-risk adenoma. This finding supports the conclusion that MHO increases the risk of colorectal cancer.</p></div

Lamivudine versus Entecavir for Newly Diagnosed Hepatitis B Virus-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background/AimsAntiviral therapy is a key component in the management of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. However, whether the potent drug entecavir is more effective than a less potent drug, such as lamivudine, in HBV-related HCC is not clear.Methods : A retrospective cohort of 451 newly diagnosed, HBV-related HCC patients without antiviral therapy at diagnosis, who started antiviral therapy with either entecavir (n=249) or lamivudine (n=202), were enrolled.Results : The median survival was longer for the entecavir group than for the lamivudine group, and lamivudine use (vs entecavir) was an independent factor for mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 1.49; p=0.002). Lamivudine use (vs entecavir) was an independent risk factor for new-onset hepatic decompensation (HR, 1.67; p=0.010) in 318 patients without previous hepatic decompensation, and it was also an independent risk factor for recurrence after curative therapy (HR, 1.84; p=0.002) in 117 patients who received curative therapy. The findings were similar in a propensity score-matched cohort.Conclusion : sOverall survival, decompensation-free survival, and recurrence-free survival were better in the entecavir-treated patients than in the lamivudine treated-patients, indicating that the potent antiviral drug should be the preferred choice in HBV-related HCC patients

Comparison of odd ratios of colorectal adenoma according to body mass index category and metabolic status.

<p>Comparison of odd ratios of colorectal adenoma according to body mass index category and metabolic status.</p

Comparison of baseline characteristics by metabolic status.

<p>Comparison of baseline characteristics by metabolic status.</p