Concert recording 2019-02-07b

[Track 1]. Après un rêve from Trois melodies, op. 7 / Gabriel Fauré -- [Track 2]. The little horses / Aaron Copland -- [Track 3]. Denn es genet den Menschen wie dem Vieh from Four serious songs, op. 121 / Johannes Brahms -- [Track 4]. War song no. 2 / Charles Ives -- [Track 5]. Song to the moon from Rusalka / Antonin Dvořák -- [Track 6]. Prison / Gabriel Fauré -- [Track 7]. O Tod, wie bitter bist du from Four serious songs, op. 121 / Johannes Brahms -- [Track 8]. Dreams / Charles Ives -- [Track 9]. Der Erkönig / Schubert

Clinical Characteristics and Treatment Outcomes of Colorectal Cancer in Renal Transplant Recipients in Korea

PURPOSE: Transplant recipients in Asia appear to be at a higher risk for developing colorectal cancer (CRC). This study was performed to identify the clinicopathological features and oncologic outcomes of CRC in post-renal transplants in Korea. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 17 patients with CRC out of 2,630 recipients who underwent renal transplantation between 1994 and 2007. These patients (transplant group) were compared with general CRC patients (n=170, control group) matched, based on the closest date of surgery to the transplant group. RESULTS: During 29.7 months of the median follow- up period, the recurrent and survival rates from recurrence were worse in the transplant group than in the control group (35.2% versus 15.2%; p=0.048 and p=0.025). The 2-year patient survival rate of the transplant group was significantly worse than the control group in advanced cancer (stages III-IV; 45.7% versus 71.6%; p=0.023). In early cancer (stages 0-I), there was no significant difference in 5-year patient survival rate between the two groups (100% versus 92.6%, respectively; p=0.406). CONCLUSION: In spite of a poor prognosis of advanced CRC in the transplant group, the early stage CRC of the transplant group showed a comparable oncologic outcome compared with the control group. Regular screening and early detection of CRC are essential in the post-transplant setting.ope

Prognostic Factors and Clinical Outcomes of High-Dose Chemotherapy followed by Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation in Patients with Peripheral T Cell Lymphoma, Unspecified: Complete Remission at Transplantation and the Prognostic Index of Peripheral T Cell Lymphoma Are the Major Factors Predictive of Outcome

AbstractHigh-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (HDT/ASCT) offers a rescue option for T cell lymphoma patients with poor prognosis. However, the effectiveness of HDT/ASCT in patients with various peripheral T cell subtypes, optimal transplant timing, and the prognostic factors that predict better outcomes, have not been identified. We retrospectively investigated the clinical outcomes and prognostic factors for HDT/ASCT in 64 Korean patients with peripheral T cell lymphoma, unspecified (PTCL-U) between March 1995 and February 2007. The median age at transplantation was 44 years (range: 15-63 years). According to the age-adjusted International Prognostic Index (a-IPI) and the prognostic index of PTCL (PIT), 8 patients (12.5%) were in the high-risk group and 16 (26.6%) had the 2-3 PIT factors, respectively. After a median follow-up of 29.7 months, the 3-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) rates were 53.0% ± 7.5% and 44.3% ± 7.0%, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that poor performance status, high lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels, high a-IPI score, high PIT classes, failure to achieve complete response (CR) at transplantation, and nonfrontline transplantation were associated with poor OS. Multivariate analysis showed that failure to achieve CR at transplantation (hazard ratio [HR] 2.23; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.78-7.93) and 2-3 PIT factors (HR 3.76; 95% CI 1.02-5.42) were independent prognostic factors for OS. Failure to achieve CR at transplantation and high PIT are negative predictable factors for survival following HDT/ASCT in patients with PTCL-U

North Korea’s human rights insecurity : state image management in the post-UN COI era

The 2014 report of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea marked a watershed moment in international awareness and action on North Korea's human rights problem. It sparked widespread international condemnation, and prompted anxiety and insecurity on the part of North Korea, evident in the North's immediate response. This included a verbal counter‐offensive, some surprising willingness to engage with UN mechanisms, and a range of diplomatic engagement. I argue that contrary to the popular perception of North Korea as impervious to external criticism, when viewed through the conceptual lens of ontological security, the North's response to the UN COI revealed a desire to defend and secure its image in the eyes of the international community. While acknowledging continuing obstacles to a genuine normative transition in its approach to human rights, the article supports a deeper understanding of North Korea's self‐identity to guide measures to bring about change

Comparison between Matched Related and Alternative Donors of Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cells Transplanted into Adult Patients with Acquired Aplastic Anemia: Multivariate and Propensity Score-Matched Analysis

We retrospectively compared the outcomes of 225 patients with adult acquired aplastic anemia (AA) who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT) from matched related donors (MRDs), and those treated by alloHSCT from alternative donors (ADs). Univariate and multivariate analyses of factors associated with survival were performed. Multivariate analysis showed that age at alloHSCT of ≤31 years, MRD, successful engraftment, absence of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD), and platelet engraftment at ≤21 days, were independent predictors of longer survival. In addition, time to aGVHD and cumulative nonrelapse mortality (NRM) were better in MRD than in AD recipients. Using propensity score matching (PSM), we performed a case-control study comparing 25 patients in each group who underwent alloHSCT from MRDs and ADs. Pretransplantation clinical factors were well balanced in either group. Median survival time was similar, and no statistically significant difference in transplantation outcomes was apparent when MRD and AD recipients were compared. In conclusion, our results suggest that alloHSCT from an AD should be considered earlier in adult patients with AA who do not have an MRD

Zinc status and dietary quality of type 2 diabetic patients: implication of physical activity level

The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationships among zinc status, diet quality, glycemic control and self-rated physical activity level of type 2 diabetic patients. Dietary intakes for two non-consecutive days were measured by 24-hour recall method for seventy-six diabetic patients. Fasting blood glucose and HbA1c were measured for the assessment of glycemic control. We evaluated the extent of dietary adequacy by the percentage of subjects with a dietary intake of a nutrient less than the estimated average requirement(EAR), the dietary diversity score(DDS) and the dietary variety score(DVS). Zinc status was assessed from serum levels and urinary excretion. Dietary inadequacy was serious for five nutrients: riboflavin, calcium, thiamin, zinc and vitamin C. Dietary intakes from the meat, fish, and egg food groups and the milk food group were below the recommended level. We found that subjects with high levels of physical activities had significantly higher DVS and serum zinc levels compared to others (p<0.05). Fasting blood glucose levels and HbA1c were not significantly different across self-reported physical activity levels. Therefore, we suggest that maintaining physical activity at or above a moderate level is beneficial to improving dietary quality and zinc status

Differential Cytokine Utilization and Tissue Tropism Results in Distinct Repopulation Kinetics of Naïve vs. Memory T Cells in Mice

Naïve and memory T cells co-exist in the peripheral T cell pool, but the cellular mechanisms that maintain the balance and homeostasis of these two populations remain mostly unclear. To address this question, here, we assessed homeostatic proliferation and repopulation kinetics of adoptively transferred naïve and memory T cells in lymphopenic host mice. We identified distinct kinetics of proliferation and tissue-distribution between naïve and memory donor T cells, which resulted in the occupancy of the peripheral T cell pool by mostly naïve-origin T cells in short term (&lt;1 week), but, in a dramatic reversal, by mostly memory-origin T cells in long term (&gt;4 weeks). To explain this finding, we assessed utilization of the homeostatic cytokines IL-7 and IL-15 by naïve and memory T cells. We found different efficiencies of IL-7 signaling between naïve and memory T cells, where memory T cells expressed larger amounts of IL-7Rα but were significantly less potent in activation of STAT5 that is downstream of IL-7 signaling. Nonetheless, memory T cells were superior in long-term repopulation of the peripheral T cell pool, presumably, because they preferentially migrated into non-lymphoid tissues upon adoptive transfer and additionally utilized tissue IL-15 for rapid expansion. Consequently, co-utilization of IL-7 and IL-15 provides memory T cells a long-term survival advantage. We consider this mechanism important, as it permits the memory T cell population to be maintained in face of constant influx of naïve T cells to the peripheral T cell pool and under competing conditions for survival cytokines