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Objective: To quantify familial risk of endometriosis among full siblings and examine interactions between family history and smoking, age at menarche or body mass index (BMI). Design, setting and population: Population‐based nationwide cohort study. Methods: Using data from the Korean National Health Insurance and Screening Programme databases on kinship, healthcare utilisation, lifestyle and anthropometrics, we identified 2 109 288 women with full siblings and their environmental risk factors from 2002 to 2018. Familial risks were estimated using Cox proportional‐hazards models, represented as incidence risk ratios (IRR) with 95% CI. Interaction between family history and smoking, age at menarche or BMI were assessed on an additive scale. Main outcome measures: IRR of endometriosis among women with and without affected siblings. Results: From 19 195 women with affected siblings, 1126 developed endometriosis with an incidence of 35.45/10 000 person‐years. Familial risk of endometriosis with versus without affected siblings was increased to IRR 2.75 (95% CI 2.25–3.36), and the highest risk was with affected twins (IRR 6.98; 95% CI 4.19–11.62). Women with both a family history and either smoking, early menarche or low BMI had a significantly higher risk of endometriosis compared with the general population and can be regarded as a high‐risk group, the IRRs were 4.28 (95% CI 2.43–7.55), 3.47 (95% CI 2.82–4.26) and 3.09 (95% CI 2.68–3.56), respectively. Substantial effect modification of the associations was noted by smoking and early menarche, as their combined risk with family history exceeded the sum of their individual risks, which was also statistically significant. Conclusion: Genetic factors are the primary contributor to the familial aggregation of endometriosis. Significant gene–environment interaction exists between family history and smoking or early menarche. Significant gene–environment interaction exists between family history of endometriosis and smoking or early menarche. Significant gene–environment interaction exists between family history of endometriosis and smoking or early menarche. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Epidemiological studies on inflammatory myopathies (IMs) show widely variable results, and studies on Asians are lacking. Despite emerging interest in the cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk associated with IMs, the prevalence of CVD in IM patients and its impact on mortality remain unclear. We conducted a nationwide, population-based study on the incidence, mortality, and associated major CVD events of IMs in the Republic of Korea over 11 years.Method: Using the nationwide, population-based National Health Insurance claims database and the Rare Intractable Disease registration programme, we estimated incidence, mortality, and CVD occurrence. Survival was examined using the Kaplan-Meier method. Mortality rate in IMs with CVD was analysed by Cox proportional hazards regression.Results: There were 3014 incident cases, 640 of whom died during the study period. The mean annual incidence was 7.16/106. Dermatomyositis (DM) and polymyositis (PM) had 5 year survival rates of 76.8% and 79.3%, respectively. Cardiovascular events occurred in 155 patients and 40.6% of IM patients with CVD died. Acute myocardial infarction in men had the highest risk of any CVD event in both DM [standardized incidence ratio (SIR) 4.2, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 2.4-7.2] and PM (SIR 3.5, 95% CI 1.8-7.0). Haemorrhagic stroke had the highest hazard ratio (HR) in both DM (HR 2.31, 95% CI 1.13-4.70) and PM patients (HR 2.10, 95% CI 1.03-4.27) compared with the general population with CVD.Conclusion: We found persistently low incidence, poor survival, and high major CVD incidence in IMs, and increased mortality in IMs with CVD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pain and dysfunction in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) region represent a diagnostic challenge. Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are usually diagnosed by means of a thorough patient history and comprehensive clinical examination. However, additional diagnostic tests, such as imaging of the TMJ area, are necessary in cases where the signs do not explain the symptoms. Neoplasms and pseudotumors of the TMJ are quite uncommon, but their early recognition is necessary in order prevent the delay of correct treatment. This report describes 3 cases of different intraosseous lesions of the mandibular condyle in which the patient was erroneously first treated for a TMD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We retrospectively investigated whether palonosetron administered during the induction of general anesthesia is associated with an increased risk of perioperative cardiovascular complications in a single tertiary center cohort consisting of 4,517 palonosetron-exposed patients and 4,517 propensity score-matched patients without palonosetron exposure. The primary endpoint was a composite of perioperative cardiovascular complications, including intraoperative cardiac arrhythmia, intraoperative cardiac death, and myocardial injury within the first postoperative week, and there was no significant difference between the groups (odds ratio [OR] = 1.04; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.92-1.19). As secondary endpoints, intraoperative cardioversion, cardiac compression, use of cardiovascular drugs, postoperative hospital stay, and in-hospital mortality showed no differences between the groups. However, the palonosetron group showed decreased intraoperative hypotension (OR = 0.88; 95% CI = 0.79-0.97) and length of postoperative intensive care unit (ICU) stay (4.26 ± 9.86 vs. 6.14 ± 16.75; P = 0.026). Palonosetron did not increase the rate of perioperative cardiovascular complications, and can therefore be used safely during anesthetic induction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an inflammatory autoimmune disease of the central nervous system that preferentially targets the optic nerves and spinal cord. The clinical presentation may suggest multiple sclerosis (MS), but a highly specific serum autoantibody against the astrocytic water channel aquaporin-4 present in up to 80% of NMO patients enables distinction from MS. Optic neuritis may occur in either condition resulting in neuro-anatomical retinal changes. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has become a useful tool for analyzing retinal damage both in MS and NMO. Numerous studies showed that optic neuritis in NMO typically results in more severe retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and ganglion cell layer thinning and more frequent development of microcystic macular edema than in MS. Furthermore, while patients’ RNFL thinning also occurs in the absence of optic neuritis in MS, subclinical damage seems to be rare in NMO. Thus, OCT might be useful in differentiating NMO from MS and serve as an outcome parameter in clinical studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which describes a rare case of intracardiac thrombus formation after severe carbon monoxide (CO) intoxication. The study concluded the CO poisoning causes various harmful cardiac effects by disturbing oxygen delivery because intracardiac thrombus can result in pulmonary embolism and cerebral embolic infarction.

Definite diagnosis of inflammatory demyelinating disease (multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica (NMO)) may require time, but early treatment offers the opportunity to maximize patient outcomes. The purpose of this report is to provide guidance to facilitate early treatment decisions for patients with inflammatory demyelinating disease, before definitive diagnosis. Neurology experts reviewed the existing literature and clinical evidence. A treatment decision pathway was developed, defining patients for whom first-line MS disease-modifying therapies (a) are unlikely to be effective, (b) may be effective but require careful monitoring and (c) are likely to provide benefit. This algorithm seeks to ensure that patients, particularly those in Asia, receive appropriate treatment early in inflammatory demyelinating disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contents Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is now an established procedure used in cloning of several species. SCNT in dogs involves multiple steps including the removal of the nuclear material, injection of a donor cell, fusion, activation of the reconstructed oocytes and finally transfer to a synchronized female recipient. There are therefore many factors that contribute to cloning efficiency. By performing a retrospective analysis of 2005-2012 published papers regarding dog cloning, we define the optimum procedure and summarize the specific feature for dog cloning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To compare findings at dynamic computed tomography (CT), endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC) and magnetic resonance cholangiography (MRC) in patients with sclerosing cholangitis with autoimmune pancreatitis (SC-AIP) and periductal infiltrating cancer in the common bile duct (CBD), and to evaluate the diagnostic performance of ERC and MRC in differentiating between the two diseases.Methods: Bile duct changes at dynamic CT, ERC and MRC were compared in 58 patients with SC-AIP and CBD involvement and 93 patients with periductal infiltrating CBD cancer. Two radiologists rated their confidence in differentiating between the two diseases and the diagnostic performances of ERC and MRC were compared.Results: At CT, SC-AIP was more frequently associated with intrapancreatic CBD involvement, thinner CBD walls, concentric wall thickening, smooth outer margins, and lower degrees of upstream ductal dilatation and contrast enhancement (P ≤ 0.05) than CBD cancer. At ERC and MRC, SC-AIP was more frequently associated with smooth margins, gradual and symmetric narrowing, multifocal involvement and hourglass appearance (P ≤ 0.027) than CBD cancer. MRC showed good diagnostic performance comparable to ERC.Conclusions: Dynamic CT, ERC and MRC can be helpful in distinguishing SC-AIP from periductal infiltrating CBD cancer. MRC may be a useful diagnostic alternative to ERC in differentiating between the two diseases.Key Points: • SC-AIP often mimics periductal infiltrating ductal cancer. • Imaging findings of SC-AIP and periductal infiltrating CBD cancer can be similar. • Dynamic CT, ERC and MRC help differentiate between these two diseases. • MRC may be a useful diagnostic alternative to ERC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To understand the audiologic and vestibular toxicities associated with adoptive cell immunotherapy (ACI) targeting pigment-pathway antigens on melanoma and to investigate the use of intratympanic steroid injections in the treatment of these toxicities.Study Design: Prospective nonrandomized study.Setting: Tertiary clinical research center.Methods: Thirty-two patients with progressive metastatic melanoma who failed conventional therapy underwent ACI with T cells genetically modified to target MART-1 (n = 18) or gp100 (n = 14). All patients received serial audiometric testing. Vestibular testing was performed on patients with vestibular complaints. Patients with significant deficits received intratympanic steroid injections.Results: Of 32 patients, 15 had no hearing change, 9 had mild hearing loss, and 8 had moderate hearing loss following treatment. Ten patients received intratympanic steroid injections for mild (n = 2) or moderate (n = 7) hearing loss or for significant imbalance (n = 1). Of those with mild hearing loss (n = 9), all but 1 recovered to pretreatment hearing levels. Four of 8 patients with moderate hearing loss recovered to baseline hearing levels, and 4 had partial recovery. All 7 patients with posttreatment vestibular complaints had demonstrable vestibular dysfunction. Three of these patients demonstrated recovery to normal vestibular function. The number of modified T cells infused for therapy correlated with the degree of audiovestibular deficit.Conclusion: Adoptive cell immunotherapy targeting pigment-pathway cell proteins, a novel therapy for melanoma, can induce hearing loss and vestibular dysfunction. The presumed mechanism of autoimmune attack on normal melanocytes in the cochlear stria vascularis and in the vestibular organs demonstrates the importance of melanocytes in normal inner ear function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To compare helical tomotherapy (HT) and conventional intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) using a variety of dosimetric and radiobiologic indexes in patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC).Patients and Methods: A total of 20 patients with LA-NSCLC were enrolled. IMRT plans with 4-6 coplanar beams and HT plans were generated for each patient. Dose distributions and dosimetric indexes for the tumors and critical structures were computed for both plans and compared.Results: Both modalities created highly conformal plans. They did not differ in the volumes of lung exposed to > 20 Gy of radiation. The average mean lung dose, volume receiving ≥ 30 Gy, and volume receiving ≥ 10 Gy in HT planning were 18.3 Gy, 18.5%, and 57.1%, respectively, compared to 19.4 Gy, 25.4%, and 48.9%, respectively, with IMRT (p = 0.004, p < 0.001, and p < 0.001). The differences between HT and IMRT in lung volume receiving ≥ 10-20 Gy increased significantly as the planning target volume (PTV) increased. For 6 patients who had PTV greater than 700 cm(3), IMRT was superior to HT for 5 patients in terms of lung volume receiving ≥ 5-20 Gy. The integral dose to the entire thorax in HT plans was significantly higher than in IMRT plans.Conclusion: HT gave significantly better control of mean lung dose and volume receiving ≥ 30-40 Gy, whereas IMRT provided better control of the lung volume receiving ≥ 5-15 Gy and the integral dose to entire thorax. In most patients with PTV greater than 700 cm(3), IMRT was superior to HT in terms of lung volume receiving ≥ 5-20 Gy. It is therefore advised that caution should be exercised when planning LA-NSCLC using HT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Recently, the DNA damage response (DDR) has emerged as a promising target for anticancer drug development. In our previous study, we identified several DDR-inhibiting compounds via high-content screening of a small molecule library using γH2AX foci as a biomarker. Here, we studied the effects of the DNA damage response inhibitor DDRI-18 (3,3'-(1H,3'H-5,5'-bibenzo[d]imidazole-2,2'-diyl)dianiline) on DDR.Experimental Approach: Osteosarcoma U2OS cells were treated with etoposide to induce DDR. The nuclear foci of γH2AX and other signalling molecules in DDR were visualized by immunofluorescence and quantified using an IN Cell Analyzer. The DNA repair capacity of cells was analysed using the comet assay and in vivo DNA end-joining assay. Cell survival after drug treatment was quantified using the MTT assay, and apoptotic cell death was analysed by Annexin V staining and flow cytometry.Key Results: DDRI-18 inhibited the non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) DNA repair process and delayed the resolution of DNA damage-related proteins (γH2AX, ATM and BRCA1) from DNA lesions at a later phase of DDR. Furthermore, DDRI-18 enhanced the cytotoxic effects of anticancer DNA-damaging drugs, including etoposide, camptothecin, doxorubicin and bleomycin. This synergistic effect on cell death was shown to be due to caspase-dependent apoptosis.Conclusions and Implications: We identified a chemical compound, DDRI-18, that has chemosensitization activity. Although the target molecule and mechanism of action of DDRI-18 remain unknown, DDRI-18 is an effective chemosensitizing agent and may improve the therapy with classical anticancer drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Pungent constituents of ginger (Zingiber officinale) have beneficial effects on inflammatory pain and arthritic swelling. However, the molecular basis for these pharmacological properties is only partially understood. Here, we investigated the molecular target of 1-dehydro-[10]-gingerdione (D10G), one of the pungent constituents of ginger, that mediates its suppression of NF-κB-regulated expression of inflammatory genes linked to toll-like receptor (TLR)-mediated innate immunity.Experimental Approach: RAW 264.7 macrophages or primary macrophages-derived from bone marrows of C57BL/6 or C3H/HeJ mice were stimulated with the TLR4 agonist LPS in the presence of D10G. Catalytic activity of inhibitory κB (IκB) kinase β (IKKβ) was determined by a kinase assay and immunoblot analysis, and the expression of inflammatory genes by RT-PCR analysis and a promoter-dependent reporter assay.Key Results: D10G directly inhibited the catalytic activity of cell-free IKKβ. Moreover, D10G irreversibly inhibited cytoplasmic IKKβ-catalysed IκBα phosphorylation in macrophages activated by TLR agonists or TNF-α, and also IKKβ vector-elicited NF-κB transcriptional activity in these cells. These effects of D10G were abolished by substitution of the Cys(179) with Ala in the activation loop of IKKβ, indicating a direct interacting site of D10G. This mechanism was shown to mediate D10G-induced disruption of NF-κB activation in LPS-stimulated macrophages and the suppression of NF-κB-regulated gene expression of inducible NOS, COX-2 and IL-6.Conclusion and Implications: This study demonstrates that IKKβ is a molecular target of D10G involved in the suppression of NF-κB-regulated gene expression in LPS-activated macrophages; this suggests D10G has therapeutic potential in NF-κB-associated inflammation and autoimmune disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Recently, the DNA damage response (DDR) has emerged as a promising target for anticancer drug development. In our previous study, we identified several DDR-inhibiting compounds via high-content screening of a small molecule library using γH2AX foci as a biomarker. Here, we studied the effects of the DNA damage response inhibitor DDRI-18 (3,3′-(1 H,3′ H-5,5′-bibenzo[ d]imidazole-2,2′-diyl)dianiline) on DDR. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Osteosarcoma U2OS cells were treated with etoposide to induce DDR. The nuclear foci of γH2AX and other signalling molecules in DDR were visualized by immunofluorescence and quantified using an IN Cell Analyzer. The DNA repair capacity of cells was analysed using the comet assay and in vivo DNA end-joining assay. Cell survival after drug treatment was quantified using the MTT assay, and apoptotic cell death was analysed by Annexin V staining and flow cytometry. KEY RESULTS DDRI-18 inhibited the non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) DNA repair process and delayed the resolution of DNA damage-related proteins (γH2AX, ATM and BRCA1) from DNA lesions at a later phase of DDR. Furthermore, DDRI-18 enhanced the cytotoxic effects of anticancer DNA-damaging drugs, including etoposide, camptothecin, doxorubicin and bleomycin. This synergistic effect on cell death was shown to be due to caspase-dependent apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS We identified a chemical compound, DDRI-18, that has chemosensitization activity. Although the target molecule and mechanism of action of DDRI-18 remain unknown, DDRI-18 is an effective chemosensitizing agent and may improve the therapy with classical anticancer drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the epidemiology of hospitalizations related to pesticides in South Korea. The study used information from the Korea National Hospital Discharge Survey, descriptive statistics and sociodemographic analysis. Results show that pesticide poisoning accounts for 17.8 hospitalizations for every 100, 000 populations in the country.

Introduction: Blood loss following total knee arthroplasty can lead to substantial morbidity and the need for blood transfusions. Hemostatic agents have been used to minimize blood loss and to decrease transfusion rates. Floseal is a thrombin-based hemostatic agent with unknown efficacy for achieving these goals in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty.Methods: We performed a prospective randomized controlled trial on the use of Floseal in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty, with the primary end point being blood loss as measured through drain output. Demographic characteristics, operative side, diagnosis, intraoperative details, implant choice, hospital course, laboratory values, visual analog scale pain scores, knee range of motion, adverse events, transfusion rates, and deviations from protocol were recorded.Results: A total of 196 patients were enrolled, with ninety-seven patients being randomized to the Floseal group and ninety-nine patients being randomized to the control group. There were no significant differences between the Floseal and control groups in terms of drain output at twenty-four hours (711 compared with 702 mL; p = 0.823). No differences were noted between the groups in terms of operative side, diagnosis, intraoperative details, implant choice, hospital course, laboratory values, visual analog scale pain scores, knee range of motion, or transfusion rates. Complications occurred infrequently. In the acute postoperative period, there were two cases of cellulitis (one in each group), two deep venous thromboses (one in each group), and one paralytic ileus (in the control group), all of which resolved with nonoperative measures. At the six-week follow-up, one patient in the Floseal group had died from a cause unrelated to surgery, two patients (one in each group) had suture abscesses with cellulitis that resolved with postoperative antibiotics, and four patients (two in each group) underwent knee manipulation under anesthesia to achieve improved knee motion. With the numbers available, there was no significant association between Floseal use and the occurrence of these adverse events.Conclusions: The present study showed that Floseal had no demonstrable effect on blood loss as measured through drain output following total knee arthroplasty. There were also no notable adverse events associated with its use. The usefulness of Floseal as a hemostatic agent in total knee arthroplasty remains unclear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cytosine arabinoside-based chemotherapy coupled with anthracycline is currently the first-line treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), but diverse responses to the regimen constitute obstacles to successful treatment. Therefore, outcome prediction to chemotherapy at diagnosis is believed to be a critical consideration.Methods: The mRNA expression of 12 genes closely involved in the actions of cytosine arabinoside and anthracycline was evaluated by real-time reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR), in 54 diagnostic bone marrow specimens of M2-subtype AML.Results: Low expression levels of ribonucleotide reductase M2 (RRM2) and high expression levels of topoisomerase 2 beta (TOP2B) were correlated with longer survival in a univariate analysis. Another interesting finding is that high ratios of TOP2B/RRM2 and TOP2B/TOP2 alpha (TOP2A) in a combined analysis were also shown to have a prognostic impact for longer survival with improved accuracy. Among the four markers, when adjusted for the influence of other clinical factors in multivariate analysis, the TOP2B/TOP2A ratio was significantly correlated with treatment outcomes; patients with high ratios trended toward longer disease-free survival (HR, 0.24; P=0.002) and overall survival (HR, 0.29; P=0.005).Conclusion: Genes with distinct expression profiles such as TOP2B/TOP2A expression ratio at diagnosis can be employed for outcome prediction after the treatment with standard regimens in AML patients with M2 subtype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With the widespread use of PET/CT, incidental hypermetabolic foci unrelated to the known malignancy have been described with increasing frequency. Purpose: To determine the frequency and clinical significance of incidental focal hypermetabolic uptake in the breast as detected by 18F-FDG PET/CT, and to explore factors differentiating benign and malignant breast uptake. Material and Methods: From January 2005 to June 2010, a total of 51,971 whole-body FDG PET/CT examinations were performed in our clinic. After excluding 7254 sets of PET/CT data from patients known to have breast cancer, we retrospectively identified patients showing incidental focal hypermetabolic activity in the breast. Of 44,717 PET/CT examinations conducted on 32,988 patients, we identified 131 patients with no previous known or suspected benign and malignant breast disease. The etiology, mean SUV(max), and diameter of breast lesions were assessed. We also compared the presentation of the lesions on CT, mammography, and ultrasonography. Results: Of the 131 patients, 60 were histologically diagnosed with breast lesions, including 32 with malignant and 28 with benign lesions. An additional 11 patients were followed-up for more than 2 years and were clinically considered to have benign lesions. The remaining 60 patients who had neither histologic confirmation nor followed-up for more than 2 years were excluded. Therefore, 71 patients were finally included. The mean SUV(max) of 39 benign lesions and 32 malignant lesions were 2.02 ± 1.52 and 3.71 ± 3.83, respectively (P = 0.0001). At a cut-off value of 2.3, the rate of malignancy and specificity of the mean SUVmax for differentiating benign and malignant breast lesions were 61.3%, 76.3, respectively. The CT data from PET/CT revealed that the mean diameters of benign and malignant lesions were 1.19 ± 0.97 cm and 2.26 ± 1.96 cm, respectively (P = 0.0009). Conclusion: Incidental focal 18F-FDG uptake in the breast as detected by PET/CT was indicative of malignancy in 45% of patients. Both mean SUV(max) and diameter were greater for malignant than benign lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Neurocognitive disorders afflict approximately 20% of HIV-infected patients. HIV-1-infected cells in the brain shed viral proteins such as transactivator of transcription (Tat). Tat elicits cell death and synapse loss via processes initiated by NMDA receptor activation but mediated by separate downstream signalling pathways. Subunit selective NMDA receptor antagonists may differentially modulate survival relative to synaptic changes. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Tat-evoked cell death was quantified by measuring propidium iodide uptake into rat hippocampal neurons in culture. The effects of Tat on synaptic changes were measured using an imaging-based assay that quantified clusters of the scaffolding protein postsynaptic density 95 fused to green fluorescent protein. KEY RESULTS Dizocilpine, a non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist, inhibited Tat-induced synapse loss, subsequent synapse recovery and Tat-induced cell death with comparable potencies. Memantine (10 µM) and ifenprodil (10 µM), which preferentially inhibit GluN2B-containing NMDA receptors, protected from Tat-induced cell death with no effect on synapse loss. Surprisingly, memantine and ifenprodil induced synapse recovery in the presence of Tat. In contrast, the GluN2A-prefering antagonist TCN201 prevented synapse loss and recovery with no effect on cell death. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Synapse loss is a protective mechanism that enables the cell to cope with excess excitatory input. Thus, memantine and ifenprodil are promising neuroprotective drugs because they spare synaptic changes and promote survival. These GluN2B-preferring drugs induced recovery from Tat-evoked synapse loss, suggesting that synaptic pharmacology changed during the neurotoxic process. NMDA receptor subtypes differentially participate in the adaptation and death induced by excitotoxic insult. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A study was undertaken to evaluate the temporal projection methods that are applied by the American Cancer Society to predict 4-year-ahead projections.Methods: Cancer mortality data recorded in each year from 1969 through 2007 for the United States overall and for each state from the National Center for Health Statistics was obtained. Based on the mortality data through 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003, Projections were made 4 years ahead to estimate the expected number of cancer deaths in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, respectively, in the United States and in each state, using 5 projection methods. These predictive estimates were compared to the observed number of deaths that occurred for all cancers combined and 47 cancer sites at the national level, and 21 cancer sites at the state level.Results: Among the models that were compared, the joinpoint regression model with modified Bayesian information criterion selection produced estimates that are closest to the actual number of deaths. Overall, results show the 4-year-ahead projection has larger error than 3-year-ahead projection of death counts when the same method is used. However, 4-year-ahead projection from the new method performed better than the 3-year-ahead projection from the current state-space method.Conclusions: The Joinpoint method with modified Bayesian information criterion model has the smallest error of all the models considered for 4-year-ahead projection of cancer deaths to the current year for the United States overall and for each state. This method will be used by the American Cancer Society to project the number of cancer deaths starting in 2012. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies have documented that ginseng has antidiabetic and antiobesity effects, but the mechanism of the effects has not been elucidated. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of Korean red ginseng (KRG, Panax ginseng) and investigate the mechanism of antidiabetic and antiobesity effects in obese insulin resistant animal models. Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were divided into three groups: a control group (group I) fed a normal diet, another group (group II) fed only high fat diet (HFD) and a third group (group III) fed HFD with KRG (200 mg/kg, oral) for 18 weeks. The body weight, food intake, adipose tissues, liver, kidney, pancreas, adiponectin, and leptin were measured. Blood glucose, insulin tolerance test, and hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp test were investigated. A significant weight reduction, especially fat mass reduction, was observed in the KRG treated group. Increased insulin sensitivity was found in the KRG treated group. We observed increased insulin signalling, increased phosphorylation of IR, IRS-1, Akt, and membranous GLUT4 in muscle by Western blotting assay. In conclusion, KRG may have antidiabetic and antiobesity effects due to partly increased insulin sensitivity by increased adipokine and partly enhanced insulin signalling. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]