Forage Rye Cultivars for Animal Feed in Korea

Rye (Secale cereal L.) is well known for its overwintering ability and has the highest tolerance to cold temperature of the small grain cereals such as wheat, barley, and oat. Rye is used as livestock pasture and as green manure in Korea, and its cultivation area for fodder is about 50,000 ha in 2014. Most rye is grown as a fall-sown annual crop, generally called “winter rye”. In Korea, rye cultivation for whole crop silage (WCS) in the winter-season rice field can be considered as a promising way to enhance feed supply. The WCS production can be an efficient way to use farm products as livestock feed, and it can also contribute to increasing farm income. Although rye is inferior in several ways to the predominant cereal crops (wheat, rice, and maize), it will continue to be an important crop for farmers in Korea because of its winter hardiness and early harvesting by rapid growing ability

Role of lymphatic invasion in predicting biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy

ObjectiveLymphatic invasion in prostate cancer is associated with poor prognosis. However, there is no consensus regarding the clinical and prognostic value of lymphatic invasion. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of lymphatic invasion in biochemical recurrence (BCR) and compare the recurrence rates between patients with lymphatic invasion and lymph node metastasis.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed 2,207 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy (RP) without pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) and 742 patients who underwent RP with PLND for clinically localized or locally advanced prostate cancer, between 1993 and 2020, at Seoul National University Hospital. Kaplan–Meier analysis was performed to estimate BCR-free survival (BCRFS) using the log-rank test. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify the significant factors for BCR. Propensity score matching was performed with a 1:2 ratio to match age, initial PSA level, pathological T stage, and Gleason score to exclude confounding effects.ResultsOf the 2,207 patients who underwent RP without PLND, lymphatic invasion (L1Nx) was observed in 79 (3.5%) individuals. Among the 742 patients who underwent RP with PLND, lymph node metastases were found in 105 patients (14.2%). In patients with lymph node metastasis, lymphatic invasion was observed in 50 patients (47.6%), whereas lymphatic invasion was observed in 53 patients (8.3%) among those without lymph node metastasis. In patients who underwent RP without PLND, Kaplan–Meier analysis showed significantly poorer BCR-free survival in the L1Nx group than in the L0Nx group (p < 0.001). In patients who underwent RP with PLND, the L1N0, L0N1, and L1N1 groups showed significantly worse prognoses than the L0N0 group (p < 0.001). However, there was no significant difference in BCRFS between the L1N0 and lymph node metastasis groups, including the L0N1 and L1N1 groups. After propensity score matching at a 1:2 ratio, the L1Nx group showed significantly poorer outcomes in terms of BCRFS than the L0Nx group (p = 0.05). In addition, the L1N0 group showed a significantly worse prognosis than the L0N0 group after propensity score matching.ConclusionLymphatic invasion in radical prostatectomy specimens is an independent prognostic factor, which can complement lymph node status for predicting biochemical recurrence. Considering lymphatic invasion as an adverse pathological finding, similar to lymph node metastasis, adjuvant therapy could be considered in patients with lymphatic invasion

Development of Barley Cultivars for Animal Forage in Korea

In Korea, the domestic consumption of barley as a cereal crop has been decreasing since the 1980s. It has been considered that crop production in the winter-season rice fields could enhance the global competitiveness of domestic livestock industry by providing better quality fodder to livestock and enhancing field use rate. Therefore, the purpose of barley cultivation for cereal food production has been recently replaced by the production of the barley for forage use. Consequently, the area of barley cultivation for forage is markedly increasing in Korea. While any type of barley can be used as forage for feeding cattle, whole crop barley delivers a higher dry matter yield than conventional feed barley. This paper described the present state of forage barley cultivars developed in Korea

Clinical determinants of recurrence in pTa bladder cancer following transurethral resection of bladder tumor

Non-muscle invasive bladder cancer can be controlled by transurethral resection of bladder (TURB), but suffers from frequent recurrences in 60–70% of cases. Although, recurrence interval after TURB influences treatment course and prognosis, its implication and risk factors have not been fully elucidated. We evaluated the risk factors of early (within 1yr) and late (after 1yr) recurrence of pTa bladder cancer and clinical significance of recurrence interval on disease progression and overall survival. In this study, pTa bladder cancer patients enrolled in prospective patient registry system of Seoul National University, SUPER-UC, were retrospectively examined to determine the clinical risk factors for recurrence and its significance regarding to recurrence interval. A total of 1067 bladder cancer patients who underwent TURB between March 20 and June 2021 were included and classified into three groups of no recurrence, early, or late recurrence to be comparatively analyzed. Early recurrence was associated with poorer cystectomy-free survival and overall survival than late recurrence. Risk factors for early recurrence included a high number of previous TURB, tumor multiplicity, tumor location, tumor shape, incompleteness of TURB, and high tumor grade. Otherwise, late recurrence was associated with low-grade tumors with insufficient TURB depth. Patients with risk factors for early recurrence should be closely followed up with special cautions

Association between decreased ipsilateral renal function and aggressive behavior in renal cell carcinoma

Background To assess prognostic value of pre-operative ipsilateral split renal function (SRF) on disease-free survival (DFS) and its association with aggressive pathological features in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients.  Methods We examined patients registered in SNUG-RCC-Nx who underwent partial or radical nephrectomy at Seoul National University Hospital between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2020. Patients with the following criteria were excluded from the study. 1) non-kidney origin cancer or benign renal tumor, 2) no pre-operative Tc 99 m-DTPA renal scan, 3) single kidney status or previous partial or radical nephrectomy, and 4) bilateral renal mass. Finally, 1,078 patients were included. Results Among 1,078 patients, 899 (83.4%) showed maintained ipsilateral SRF on DTPA renal scan; 179 patients (16.6%) showed decreased SRF. The decreased SRF group showed significantly large tumor size (maintained vs. decreased SRF; 3.31 ± 2.15 vs. 6.85 ± 3.25, p < 0.001), high Fuhrman grade (grade 3–4) (41.7% vs. 55.6%, p < 0.001), and high T stage (T stage 3–4) (9.0% vs. 20.1%, p < 0.001). Pathological invasive features, including invasion of the renal capsule, perirenal fat, renal sinus fat, vein, and collecting duct system, were associated with low SRF of the ipsilateral kidney. Univariate Cox regression analysis identified higher SSIGN (The stage, size, grade, and necrosis) score and decreased ipsilateral SRF as significant risk factors, while multivariate analysis showed SSIGN (5–7) (hazard ratio [HR] 11.9, p < 0.001) and SSIGN (8–10) (HR 69.2, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with shortened DFS, while decreased ipsilateral SRF (HR 1.75, p = 0.065) showed borderline significance. Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that decreased ipsilateral SRF (< 45%) group had shorter DFS than the other group (median DFS: 90.3 months vs. not reached, p < 0.001). Conclusions Among unilateral RCC patients, those with low ipsilateral SRF showed poor prognosis with pathologically invasive features. Our novel approach may facilitate risk stratification in RCC patients, helping formulate a treatment strategy

Clinical features and Surgical Outcome of Clear Cell Papillary Renal Cell Tumor: result from a prospective cohort

Background Clear cell papillary renal cell tumor (CCPRCT) was first reported in 2006 a patient with end stage renal disease. After that it was discovered in the kidney without end stage renal disease in the 2010s and started to be mentioned in pathology and urology. The incidence of CCPRCT is low and most of it is discovered incidentally, so there is a lack of reports on clinical characteristics and surgical outcome. Methods This study used clinical data from the Seoul National University Prospectively Enrolled Registry for Renal Cell Carcinoma-Nephrectomy (SUPER-RCC-Nx). Between August 2016 and July 2022, patients who underwent radical or partial nephrectomy with clear cell papillary RCC with pathological finding were included in this study. All patients pathologic reports were reviewed by 1 pathologist. Clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes were presented through descriptive statistics, and Kaplan-Meier curve used for survival analysis. Results Of the 2057 patients, CCPRCT was reported in 36 patients (1.8%). The median follow up period was 26.8 months. The median age was 67 years, and there were 10 females and 26 males. The median tumor size was 1.2cm. Twenty-nine patients underwent partial nephrectomy. Seven patients with end-stage renal disease underwent radical nephrectomy. The median operative time for patients who underwent partial nephrectomy was 97.5min and the estimated blood loss was 100cc. The median hospital days was 4 and 30-day complications were 2 cases with clavien-dindo classification III or higher. During the follow-up period, there was no recurrence and cancer specific mortality. Conclusions The size of CCPRCT was small and there was no advanced stage at that time of diagnosis. There was no recurrence or cancer specific mortality during the follow-up period. A multi-center study with a large scale is needed in the future. Trial registration Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH) Institutional Review Board (IRB) (approval number: 2210-126-1371)

Patient with recurrent paratesticular malignant mesothelioma and multiple primary neoplasms

Paratesticular malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a rare tumor frequently associated with asbestos exposure. Therefore, we present an even rarer case of a 78-year-old male patient diagnosed with multiple primary neoplasms, including prostate cancer, lung cancer, paratesticular MM, and upper tract urothelial carcinoma. The patient initially presented with a painless testicular mass and had a notable medical history of prostate and lung cancers. Following physical examination and an ultrasound evaluation, he underwent radical right inguinal orchiectomy, which revealed paratesticular MM. The patient’s lung cancer recurrence and subsequent treatment coincided with periods of no MM recurrence. However, after the lung cancer treatment, the MM recurred multiple times within short intervals. This unique case indicates that systemic treatments for lung cancer, specifically cisplatin-based chemotherapy and atezolizumab immunotherapy, might also have an anti-tumor effect on paratesticular MM. Although MM combined with multiple primary neoplasms is challenging to treat and frequently recurs, treatments for other malignancies, as evidenced in this case, may have suppressive effects on the recurrence and metastasis of MM

Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory Study on Cyclopentadithiophene-Benzothiadiazole-Based Push-Pull-Type Copolymers for New Design of Donor Materials in Bulk Heterojunction Organic Solar Cells

International audiencePush-pull-type copolymers - low-band-gap copolymers of electron-rich fused-ring units (such as cyclopentadithiophene; CPDT) and electron-deficient units (such as benzothiadiazole; BT) - are promising donor materials for organic solar cells. Following a design principles proposed in our previous study, we investigate the electronic structure of a series of new CPDTBT derivatives with various electron-withdrawing groups using the time-dependent density functional theory and predict their power conversion efficiency from a newlydeveloped protocol using the Scharber diagram. Significantly improved efficiencies are expected for derivatives with carbonyl [C=O], carbonothioyl [C=S], dicyano [] and dicyanomethylene [C=] groups, but these polymers with no long alkyl side chain attached to them are likely to be insoluble in most organic solvents and inapplicable to low-cost solution processes. We thus devise several approaches to attach alkyl side chains to these polymers while keeping their high efficiencies

Acidic urine is associated with poor prognosis in patients with bladder cancer undergoing radical cystectomy

PurposeTo assess the prognostic value of acidic urine (low urine pH) in patients with bladder cancer undergoing radical cystectomy. Materials and methodsWe reviewed patients enrolled in the Seoul National University Prospectively Enrolled Registry for Urothelial Cancer-Cystectomy (SUPER-UC-Cx) who underwent radical cystectomy for bladder cancer between March 2016 and December 2020 at the Seoul National University Hospital. During this period, 368 patients were registered in our database. To eliminate confounding factors, we excluded patients diagnosed with non-urothelial cancer and end-stage renal disease. ResultsA total of 351 patients with a mean age of 69.8 +/- 10.5 years and median follow-up of 16.0 months were eligible for the analysis. The mean preoperative urine pH was 6.0. The patients were divided into low (pH &lt;= 5.5) and high (pH &gt;= 6.0) urine pH groups for comparison. All clinicopathological features, including the tumor size, grade, and stage were comparable between the low and high urine pH groups. A Cox regression analysis was performed to assess the independent effect of acidic urine on patient survival. A multivariate analysis showed that high T stage (T3-4) (hazard ratio (HR) 5.18, P&lt;0.001), decreased renal function (estimated glomerular filtration rate &lt;60 mL/min/1.73 m(2)) (HR 2.29, P=0.003), and low urine pH (&lt;= 5.5) (HR 1.69, P=0.05) were associated with shortened recurrence-free survival (RFS). Regarding the overall survival (OS), high T stage (T3-4) (HR 7.15, P&lt;0.001) and low urine pH (&lt;= 5.5) (HR 2.66, P=0.029) were significantly associated with shortened survival. A Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that the acidic urine group showed shorter RFS (P=0.04) and OS (P=0.028) than the other groups. ConclusionsAcidic urine was independently associated with reduced RFS and OS in patients with bladder cancer undergoing radical cystectomy. Acidic urine contributing to an acidic tumor environment may promote aggressive behavior in bladder cancer.N