Robot-assisted posterior retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy: single port access

Laparoscopic adrenalectomy has become a gold standard in adrenal gland surgery. More recently, some minimally invasive trials have been conducted on single access surgery on the adrenal gland. In this study, we introduce our first experiences of robot-assisted posterior retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy using single-port access and the da Vinci system

Effects of Copy Number Variations on Developmental Aspects of Children With Delayed Development

Objective To determine effects of copy number variations (CNV) on developmental aspects of children suspected of having delayed development. Methods A retrospective chart review was done for 65 children who underwent array-comparative genomic hybridization after visiting physical medicine & rehabilitation department of outpatient clinic with delayed development as chief complaints. Children were evaluated with Denver Developmental Screening Test II (DDST-II), Sequenced Language Scale for Infants (SELSI), or Preschool Receptive-Expressive Language Scale (PRES). A Mann-Whitney U test was conducted to determine statistical differences of developmental quotient (DQ), receptive language quotient (RLQ), and expressive language quotient (ELQ) between children with CNV (CNV(+) group, n=16) and children without CNV (CNV(–) group, n=37). Results Of these subjects, the average age was 35.1 months (mean age, 35.1±24.2 months). Sixteen (30.2%) patients had copy number variations. In the CNV(+) group, 14 children underwent DDST-II. In the CNV(–) group, 29 children underwent DDST-II. Among variables, gross motor scale was significantly (p=0.038) lower in the CNV(+) group compared with the CNV(–) group. In the CNV(+) group, 5 children underwent either SELSI or PRES. In the CNV(–) group, 27 children underwent above language assessment examination. Both RLQ and ELQ were similar between the two groups. Conclusion The gross motor domain in DQ was significantly lower in children with CNV compared to that in children without CNV. This result suggests that additional genetic factors contribute to this variability. Active detection of genomic imbalance could play a vital role when prominent gross motor delay is presented in children with delayed development

Korean Version of the Longer-Term Unmet Needs After Stroke Questionnaire

Objective To translate the 22-item Longer-term Unmet Needs after Stroke (LUNS) questionnaire, validate it in the Korean stroke population, and assess the reliability of face-to-face and telephone surveys. Methods Sixty-six adult patients with stroke from Seoul National University Bundang Hospital and Kangwon National University Hospital were involved in the validation. Participants were interviewed twice using the LUNS Korean version: first, a face-to-face survey for validation, and second, a telephone survey for test-retest reliability. Participants completed the Frenchay Activities Index (FAI) and Short Form 12 (SF-12) Mental and Physical Component Summary (MCS and PCS) scores at the first interview. For concurrent validity, the differences in health status (FAI, SF-12 MCS and PCS) between the groups that reported unmet needs and those that did not were analyzed for each item. Cohen’s kappa and percentage of agreement between the first and second administrations were calculated for each item to determine the test-retest reliability. Results The average age of the participants was 61.2±12.8 years and 74.2% were male. Fifty-seven patients were involved in the second interview. Depending on the unmet needs, SF-12 MCS, PCS, and FAI were significantly different in 12 of 22 items. In the test-retest reliability test, 12 items had a kappa of 0.6 or higher, and two had a kappa of <0.4. Conclusion The LUNS instrument into Korean (LUNS-K) is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing unmet health needs in patients with stroke. In addition, telephone surveys can be considered reliable

Establishment of a pheasant ( Phasianus colchicus ) spermatogonial stem cell line for the production of interspecies germ line chimeras

Background: Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) are important for the production of interspecies germ line chimeras. The interspecies germ cell transfer technique has been suggested as a way to conserve endangered birds. Our objective was to develop a technique for restoring endangered birds by developing interspecies germ line chimeras between pheasant ( Phasianus colchicus ) and chicken ( Gallus gallus ) with SSCs. Results: SSCs were isolated fromthe surgically removed testis of a pheasant. Growth conditions for pheasant SSCs were established by co-culturing STO (SIM mouse embryo-derived thioguanine and ouabain resistant) cells and pheasant SSCs. The colony-forming cells divided and proliferated stably to yield an established SSC line. Pheasant SSCs showed strong reactivity for GDNF family receptor alpha1 (GFR\u3b11) marker. Finally, production of germline chimeras was attempted by transferring pheasant SSCs into recipient embryos. Although final embryo survival was 5.6% (20/354), the initial survival rate was 88% (312/354). To measure the percent transfer of donor SSC to gonads, the pheasant SSCs were labeled with PKH 26 fluorescent dye. We observed 30% donor cells and 9.48% c-kit/CD117-positive cells in the gonads of recipient chickens. Donor SSCs were thus stably engrafted in the recipient gonads. Conclusions: This study showed that SSCs can be used as a tool for the conservation of endangered birds and the production of germline chimeras. Our findings yield insights into howwe may use the pheasant spermatogonial stem cell line for efficient production of interspecies germ line chimeras and ultimately, to the restoration of endangered birds

Correction: triple-negative, basal-like, and quintuple-negative breast cancers: better prediction model for survival

After the publication of this work [1], we found that there were some mistakes in calculating the percentage of composition in Table 1(1). Clinicopathologic characteristics of breast cancer subtypes. We are therefore providing the revised Table 1, with the updated data for rows Mucinous carcinoma, Metaplastic carcinoma and Others. In the sub-content of Table 1, Histological type, the total number of Others was corrected from 18 to 16, and the composition of Others type was slightly changed according to breast cancer subtypes. For IHC-Her2 subtype, the number of Others was changed from 4 to 3, and 6 cases which were previously unidentified were assigned to corresponding subtypes. One case to IHC-BLBC, 2 cases to IHC-QNBC/5NP and 3 cases to IHC-TNCB. There was no effect on statistical analysis with the correction.

Correction: triple-negative, basal-like, and quintuple-negative breast cancers: better prediction model for survival

After the publication of this work [1], we found that there were some mistakes in calculating the percentage of composition in Table 1(1). Clinicopathologic characteristics of breast cancer subtypes. We are therefore providing the revised Table 1, with the updated data for rows Mucinous carcinoma, Metaplastic carcinoma and Others. In the sub-content of Table 1, Histological type, the total number of Others was corrected from 18 to 16, and the composition of Others type was slightly changed according to breast cancer subtypes. For IHC-Her2 subtype, the number of Others was changed from 4 to 3, and 6 cases which were previously unidentified were assigned to corresponding subtypes. One case to IHC-BLBC, 2 cases to IHC-QNBC/5NP and 3 cases to IHC-TNCB. There was no effect on statistical analysis with the correction.