Short-Term Clinical Observation of Acute Retinal Pigment Epitheliitis Using Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography

We investigated the case of a young man with blurred vision in his left eye. His visual acuity was slightly decreased, and ophthalmoscopy disclosed a gray-white lesion in the macula. He had no systemic or ocular history. On the visual field test, the threshold sensitivity was decreased in the corresponding region. Spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) demonstrated a disruption in the photoreceptor inner and outer segment (IS/OS) junction and undulation of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) with backscattering. We re-examined the patient after two weeks and after three months without any treatment. Visual acuity and visual field results were gradually normalized, and OCT demonstrated the recovery of continuity in the photoreceptor IS/OS junction, as well as decreased RPE irregularity with minimal backscattering. We used spectral domain OCT instead of time domain OCT (OCT3) so that we could provide better image resolution of the acute retinal pigment epitheliitis (ARPE). Finally, we observed recovery of the functional and anatomical changes in the ARPE patient with a resolution of the condition within three months following the initial examination, using OCT and visual field tests

Higher consumption of ultra-processed food is associated with cardiovascular risk in Korean adults: KNHANES 2016–2018

BackgroundExcessive consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) has been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. We aimed to investigate the association between the percentage of energy intake from UPFs and the American Heart Association’s cardiovascular health (CVH) metrics in Korean adults.MethodsThis study analyzed adults aged 40 years and older using data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2016–2018 (n = 9,351). All foods or beverages reported in a 24-h dietary recall were categorized using the NOVA system, and the percentage of energy from UPFs was calculated. Each CVH metric was scored 0–2 (poor, intermediate, ideal). The sum of six component scores was classified as inadequate, average, or optimum. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to estimate the covariate-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for inadequate and average CVH versus optimum CVH.ResultsThe mean percentage of energy from UPFs was 24.2%. After adjusting for covariates, participants in the highest UPF quartile had 26% higher odds of having inadequate CVH than those in the lowest quartile (OR 1.26, 95% CI 0.94–1.69, P-trend = 0.03). The percentage of energy from UPFs was positively associated with current smoking, physical inactivity, body mass index, and total cholesterol and was inversely associated with blood pressure and fasting glucose.ConclusionThe percentage of energy from UPFs accounted for one-fourth of total calorie intake in Korean adults aged 40 years and older. Higher UPF consumption was associated with poorer CVH, underscoring the potential of limiting UPF consumption as a preventative measure for cardiovascular diseases

Genome-scale CRISPR screening identifies cell cycle and protein ubiquitination processes as druggable targets for erlotinib-resistant lung cancer.

Erlotinib is highly effective in lung cancer patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations. However, despite initial favorable responses, most patients rapidly develop resistance to erlotinib soon after the initial treatment. This study aims to identify new genes and pathways associated with erlotinib resistance mechanisms in order to develop novel therapeutic strategies. Here, we induced knockout (KO) mutations in erlotinib-resistant human lung cancer cells (NCI-H820) using a genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 sgRNA library to screen for genes involved in erlotinib susceptibility. The spectrum of sgRNAs incorporated among erlotinib-treated cells was substantially different to that of the untreated cells. Gene set analyses showed a significant depletion of \u27cell cycle process\u27 and \u27protein ubiquitination pathway\u27 genes among erlotinib-treated cells. Chemical inhibitors targeting genes in these two pathways, such as nutlin-3 and carfilzomib, increased cancer cell death when combined with erlotinib in both in vitro cell line and in vivo patient-derived xenograft experiments. Therefore, we propose that targeting cell cycle processes or protein ubiquitination pathways are promising treatment strategies for overcoming resistance to EGFR inhibitors in lung cancer

Direct cell-to-cell transfer in stressed tumor microenvironment aggravates tumorigenic or metastatic potential in pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer exhibits a characteristic tumor microenvironment (TME) due to enhanced fibrosis and hypoxia and is particularly resistant to conventional chemotherapy. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying TME-associated treatment resistance in pancreatic cancer are not fully understood. Here, we developed an in vitro TME mimic system comprising pancreatic cancer cells, fibroblasts and immune cells, and a stress condition, including hypoxia and gemcitabine. Cells with high viability under stress showed evidence of increased direct cell-to-cell transfer of biomolecules. The resulting derivative cells (CD4

A Case of Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy in Primary Small Cell Prostate Cancer

Primary small cell carcinoma of the prostate is a rare and very aggressive disease with a poor prognosis, even in its localized form. We managed a case of primary small cell carcinoma of the prostate. The patient was treated with robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy and adjuvant chemotherapy. Herein we report this first case of robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy performed in a patient with primary small cell carcinoma of the prostate

Prevalence of human papillomavirus infection and genotype distribution among high-risk Korean women for prospecting the strategy of vaccine development

We investigated the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and the distribution of high-risk HPV genotypes among 2,308 high-risk Korean women to predict how much the current prophylactic HPV vaccines might affect the prevention of cervical cancer in Korea. HPV DNA was detected in 939 women (40.7%) but only one-third of women were positive for HPV-16 and/or HPV-18, the genotypes used for developing the HPV vaccines. Thus, the development of area-specific HPV vaccines based on dominant HPV genotypes in our country is needed for preventing HPV infection and the development of premalignant lesions in the cervix of Korean women

False Positive Immunoglobulin M Antibody to Cytomegalovirus in Child with Infectious Mononucleosis Caused by Epstein-Barr Virus Infection

A 16-month-old boy was admitted because of cough that had lasted for 10 days. The patient showed severe hepatomegaly incidentally, and dual positivity of Immunoglobulin (Ig) M to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) viral capsid antigen (VCA) and cytomegalovirus (CMV). On the basis of seroconversion to Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen (EBNA) Ig G positivity and reduced CMV Ig M titer with persistently negative CMV Ig G, a definite diagnosis of EBV-induced infectious mononucleosis was established 1 year 2 month later