We investigated the relationship between cribriform patterns and biochemical recurrence in patients with positive surgical margins after radical prostatectomy.

This study was based on radical prostatectomy specimens obtained from 817 patients (165 with margin-positive status) collected at a single center between 2010 and 2016. We retrospectively analyzed and compared body mass index, preoperative prostate-specific antigen, Gleason score, operative methods, postoperative Gleason score, pathological T-stage, tumor percentage involvement, lymphatic and perineural invasion, prostate-specific antigen nadir, location and length of the positive margin, cribriform pattern status, and Gleason grade at the surgical margin in terms of their association with biochemical recurrence. Risk factors for biochemical recurrence were also investigated.

21% (31/146) of surgical margin-positive patients had a cribriform pattern. Nadir prostate-specific antigen, perineural invasion and biochemical recurrence rates were significantly higher in cribriform pattern present group than absent group (P = 0.031, 0.043 and 0.045, respectively). According to the Cox regression model, postoperative Gleason score, tumor percentage involvement, location and length of the positive margin, and the presence of a cribriform pattern at the surgical margin were significant predictive factors of biochemical recurrence (P = 0.022, < 0.001, 0.015, 0.001, and 0.022, respectively). Moreover, the biochemical recurrence risk was approximately 3-fold higher in patients with a cribriform pattern at the surgical margin than in those without (HR: 3.41, 95% CI 1.20-9.70, P = 0.022).

A cribriform pattern at the surgical margin is a significant predictor of biochemical recurrence in patients who undergo radical prostatectomy.

Hypoxia—a characteristic of almost all types of solid tumors—has been associated with poor outcomes in several human malignancies. Genipin—an active constituent of Gardenia fruit— has been reported to exert an anti-tumor effect in several cancers. In this study, we investigated inhibition of angiogenesis using Genipin-mediated hypoxia-induced hypoxia inducible factor (HIF-1) and VEGF expression in human cervical cancer cells.

Under normoxic and hypoxic conditions, the expression of HIF-1α and VEGF in cervical cancer HeLa cells was detected by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. Luciferase reporter assays were used to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the hypoxia-induced survivin activation.

Surprisingly, we found that Genipin suppressed the HIF-1α accumulation during hypoxia in human liver cancer cell line (HepG2), human prostate cancer cell line (LNCaP), colon cancer cell line (HCT116), and breast cancer cell line (MDA231). Genipin treatment also significantly reduced hypoxia-induced secretion of VEGF.

Suppression of HIF-1α accumulation following treatment with Genipin under hypoxia was associated with PI3K and MAPK pathways. Taken together, these results suggested that Genipin inhibits HIF-1α expression through inhibition of PI3K and MAPK signaling pathways. These results provide new insights into a potential mechanism of the anticancer properties of Genipin.

The effects of obesity on thyroid function have not been well established. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of body mass index (BMI) and/or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) on thyroid function.

A retrospective longitudinal analysis was conducted among subjects who underwent comprehensive health check-ups at least four times between 2008 and 2017. Thyroid function was investigated according to BMI or presence of NAFLD at the end of follow-up. The subjects were divided into four groups: control (n = 216), subjects with obese (n = 94), subjects with NAFLD (n = 48), and subjects with obese + NAFLD (n = 93). Obesity was defined as BMI ≥ 25 kg/m².

During the mean follow-up of 6.8 years (6.8 ± 1.2 years), 42 of the 451 subjects (9.3%) had subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) but no subjects developed overt hypothyroidism. In multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis, after adjustment for age, sex, smoking, and baseline thyroid stimulating hormone level, obese subjects with NAFLD had a higher risk of SCH than the control group.

The obese subjects with NAFLD had a higher risk for SCH in the future.

Tree pollen causes allergic rhinitis and asthma. We investigated children who diagnosed as rhinitis or asthma, living in Busan, for tree allergen sensitization, component allergen, oral allergy syndrome, and the relationship between pollen counts and allergen sensitization.

Pollen were collected in Busan, from January 1 to December 31, 2017, using a Rotorod sampler and enumerated using a microscope. We conducted a study of children with rhinitis or asthma at Busan St. Mary's Hospital in 2017, administered an ISAAC questionnaire, and an oral allergy syndrome survey. Serum specific Ig E tests were performed.

Among the 57 patients, the mean age was 9.3 years. The pollen counts in decreasing order were as follows: pine, alder, oak, juniper, beech, ginkgo, and birch. For sensitization, birch and alder 35.1%, Japanese cedar 19.3%, juniper 17.5%, pine 10.5%, and Japanese cypress 8.2%. The component Ig E was tested in 27 patients. Bet v 1 had a high correlation with birch, alder, and peach. Bet v 2 showed a statistically significant correlation with all tree pollen except cypress. Bet v 4 did not have any apparent correlation. Bet v 6 had the same pattern as Bet v 2, but correlation coefficient was higher than that of Bet v 2. Oral allergy syndrome was noted in 7 patients, including peach, peanut, apple, tomato, kiwi, and sesame.

Alder and juniper are clinically important tree pollens in Busan. These pollens cause sensitization to birch and Japanese cedar by cross-reaction.

Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome (4S), a blistering dermatosis caused by exfoliative toxins from Staphylococcus aureus, occurs frequently in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). However, association between 4S and AD has not rarely been reported. We investigated the characteristics of 4S according to AD status.

The study included 146 children with 4S who visited Busan St. Mary's Hospital from 2007–2018. Clinical features were analyzed from medical records and pictures, and 4S was classified as localized or generalized. We also retrospectively investigated the preceding conditions and test results related to AD.

Among 146 patients with 4S, median age was 2.0 years, and 35 (24.0%) had AD. Since 2007, the incidence of both 4S and AD have increased, without obvious seasonal patterns. Generalized and localized disease occurred in 90 and 56 patients, respectively. Twenty-four of 35 patients with AD (68.6%) and 32 of 111 (28.8%) without AD had localized disease. Significant differences were observed between the groups (P = 0.000). Among those with AD, the most common preceding condition was skin infection or unknown (45.2%); however, respiratory disease was the most common (47.9%) among patients without AD. Eosinophil levels were higher in the AD group (P = 0.002), and there were no statistically significant differences in total immunoglobulin E (IgE), Dermatophagoides farinae (Df IgE), egg-white IgE, and culture results between the groups.

Localized 4S frequently occurred without preceding conditions in children with AD and usually arose from skin infection compared to generalized 4S.