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Abstract: Hypertrophy of the uncinate process (UP) can cause radiculopathy. Minimal UP resection is considered to remove the lesion while minimizing the risk of complications. This study aimed to elucidate the surgical results of minimal oblique resection of the UP. This study is a retrospective review of about sixty segments in 34 patients who underwent anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) with minimal oblique uncinectomy between 2016 and 2018. The cross-sectional area of the UP was measured pre- and postoperatively. The interspinous distance, segmental Cobb angle, subsidence, fusion rate, surgical time, estimated blood loss, and postoperative complications were evaluated. The mean resected areas of the UP were 17.4 ± 8.7 mm2 (25.9%) on the right and 17.3 ± 11.2 mm2 (26.2%) on the left. The difference in interspinous distance in flexion-extension was 7.1 ± 3.2 and 1.6 ± 0.6 mm pre- and postoperatively, respectively (P = .000). The fusion rate after ACDF was 91.7% when measured according to segment (55/60) and 91.2% when measured according to patients (31/34). The difference in the segmental Cobb angle in flexion-extension was 8.3 ± 6.2° and 1.9 ± 0.3° pre and postoperatively, respectively (P = .000). Subsidence occurred in 4 (11.8%) patients and 5 (8.3%) segments. The average surgical time per segment was 68.8 ± 9.3 minute, and the estimated blood loss was 48.5 ± 25.0 mL. Postoperative complications comprised 1 case each of neck swelling, wound infection, pneumonia, and gastrointestinal bleeding. Our findings therefore revealed that minimal oblique uncinectomy during an ACDF can maintain the stability of the uncovertebral joint while sufficiently decompressing the neural foramen., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Objectives: The association of Lewis antigen phenotype with survival of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma was investigated., Methods: A total of 1187 patients diagnosed with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma were evaluated in a prospective cohort. Patients were classified into 3 different groups according to Lewis antigen phenotype: Lewis antigen (1) A positive [Le(a+b-)], (2) B positive [Le(a-b+)], and (3) negative [Le(a-b-)]. Risk of mortality was analyzed with Cox regression after adjusting for other predictors., Results: The risk of mortality increased in the order of Le(a+b-), Le(a-b+), and Le(a-b-) [reference; hazard ratio (HR), 1.27; 95% confidence interval (CI)], 1.03-1.57; P = 0.02; and HR, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.31-2.09; P < 0.001] after adjusting for other predictors. Among patients with serum carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9 lower than 37 U/mL, the association seemed more apparent (reference; HR, 1.50; 95% CI, 0.77-2.29; P = 0.22; and HR, 2.10; 95% CI, 1.10-4.02; P < 0.02)., Conclusions: The risk of mortality increased in the order of Le(a+b-), Le(a-b+), and Le(a-b-). The difference in prognosis according to the Lewis antigen phenotype was more pronounced in the low CA 19-9 group, which suggests that the Lewis antigen phenotype works as a biomarker predicting the prognosis of patients with pancreatic cancer with undetectable CA 19-9 level.

Variability of blood pressure (BP) is known as a prognostic value for the subsequent target organ damage in hypertensive patients. Arterial stiffness is a risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The relationship between the arterial stiffness and the BP variability has been controversial. The objective of the present study was to investigate the relationship between arterial stiffness and home BP variability in patients with high normal BP and new onset hypertension (HTN).Four hundred sixty three patients (252 males, 49 ± 12 year-old) with high normal BP or HTN were enrolled. Using radial applanation tonometry, pulse wave analysis (PWA) was performed for evaluation of systemic arterial stiffness. All patients underwent both home BP monitoring (HBPM) and PWA. Home BP variability was calculated as the standard deviation (SD) of 7 measurements of HBPM. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to estimate and test the independent effects of home BP variability on the arterial stiffness.Mutivariate analysis showed that both systolic and diastolic morning BP variabilities were correlated with arterial stiffness expressed as augmentation pressure (AP, β-coefficient = 1.622, P = .01 and β-coefficient = 1.07, P = .035). The SDs of systolic and diastolic BP of evening were also associated with AP (β-coefficient = 1.843, P = .001 and β-coefficient = 1.088, P = .036). The SDs of morning and evening systolic BP were associated with augmentation index (AI, β-coefficient = 1.583, P = .02 and β-coefficient = 1.792, P = .001) and heart rate (75 bpm) adjusted AI (β-coefficient = 1.592, P = .001 and β-coefficient = 1.792, P = .001).In present study, the variability of systolic BP was closely related with arterial stiffness. The home BP variability might be important indicator of arterial stiffness.

Recently, modified fibrosis-4 index (mFIB-4) and the easy liver fibrosis test (eLIFT) were developed for predicting liver fibrosis in chronic liver disease patients. We evaluated whether the 2 tests can predict hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk in alcoholic liver cirrhosis (ALC) patients.A retrospective cohort of 924 ALC patients was assessed for HCC development. Four non-invasive serum biomarkers, mFIB-4, the eLIFT score, fibrosis-4 index (FIB-4), and aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI) were tested using time-dependent analysis of areas under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC), DeLong, and log-rank tests.During a median 4.8 years of follow-up, HCC occurred in 83 patients (9.0%). For predicting HCC development at 3 years, the mFIB-4 showed a significantly higher AUROC than APRI and eLIFT scores (0.71 vs 0.61 and 0.56, respectively, all P < .05). The AUROCs of the mFIB-4 for HCC development were not significantly different from those of the FIB-4. According to the mFIB-4, the risk of HCC development was significantly stratified by low index (≤4)/high index (>4) (P < .001 by log-rank test).The mFIB-4 showed better predictability of HCC development than APRI and eLIFT scores, and significantly stratified HCC risk in Asian ALC patients.

Background: This phase III trial compared the efficacy and safety of gemcitabine plus capecitabine (GemCap) versus single-agent gemcitabine (Gem) in advanced pancreatic cancer as first-line chemotherapy., Methods: A total of 214 advanced pancreatic cancer patients were enrolled from 16 hospitals in South Korea between 2007 and 2011. Patients were randomly assigned to receive GemCap (oral capecitabine 1660 mg/m plus Gem 1000 mg/m by 30-minute intravenous infusion weekly for 3 weeks followed by a 1-week break every 4 weeks) or Gem (by 30-minute intravenous infusion weekly for 3 weeks every 4 weeks)., Results: Median overall survival (OS) time, the primary end point, was 10.3 and 7.5 months in the GemCap and Gem arms, respectively (P = 0.06). Progression-free survival was 6.2 and 5.3 months in the GemCap and Gem arms, respectively (P = 0.08). GemCap significantly improved overall response rate compared with Gem alone (43.7% vs 17.6%; P = 0.001). Overall frequency of grade 3 or 4 toxicities was similar in each group. Neutropenia was the most frequent grade 3 or 4 toxicity in both groups., Conclusion: GemCap failed to improve OS at a statistically significant level compared to Gem treatment. This study showed a trend toward improved OS compared to Gem alone. GemCap and Gem both exhibited similar safety profiles., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Atrial tachyarrhythmia is a well-known long-term complication of atrial septal defect (ASD) in adults, even after successful trans-catheter closure. However, the risk factors for early-onset atrial tachyarrhythmia after trans-catheter closure remain unclear. This retrospective study enrolled adults with secundum ASD undergoing trans-catheter closure from January 2000 to March 2014. We analyzed the clinical characteristics of patients and assessed risk factors for new-onset atrial tachyarrhythmia defined as a composite of atrial fibrillation or flutter (AF/AFL) after ASD closure. We enrolled a total of 427 patients; 123 were male (28.8%) and the median age was 37.0 (interquartile range [IQR]: 18.3-49.0). Nineteen (4.4%) patients had documented atrial tachyarrhythmia during the follow-up period (median: 11.4 months [IQR: 5.4-24]). Patients with transient AF/AFL during closure showed a greater incidence of new-onset atrial tachyarrhythmia during the follow-up period than patients with consistent sinus rhythm during closure (27.3% vs 3.8%; P = 0.01). Most new-onset atrial tachyarrhythmias were documented within 6 months (median: 2.6 [IQR: 1.2-4.1] months) of closure. In the multivariate analysis, the risk for new-onset atrial tachyarrhythmia was significant in patients with AF/AFL during closure (hazard ratio [HR]: 9.90, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.86-34.20; P < 0.001), deficient posteroinferior rim (HR: 5.48, 95% CI: 1.15-25.72; P = 0.04), and age of closure over 48 years (HR: 3.30, 95% CI: 1.30-8.38; P = 0.01). In conclusion, transient AF/AFL during trans-catheter closure of ASD as well as deficient posteroinferior rim and age of closure over 48 years may be useful for predicting early new-onset atrial tachyarrhythmia after device closure., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose.

Invasive coronary angiography (ICA) is the recommended assessment for coronary artery disease in patients undergoing elective aortic valve replacement (AVR). Noncontrast computed tomography (CT) is useful for evaluating lung lesions and calcifications at the cannulation site of the ascending aorta. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of noncontrast CT in the visual assessment of coronary artery calcification (CAC) in patients undergoing AVR. We retrospectively identified patients with significant aortic stenosis (AS) who were referred for AVR between January 2006 and December 2013. Among these, we included 386 patients (53.6% males, 69.2 ± 8.4 years) who underwent both noncontrast CT and ICA. Significant coronary artery stenosis (CAS) in the ICA was defined as luminal stenosis ≥70%. The 4 main coronary arteries were visually assessed on noncontrast CT and were scored based on the Weston score as follows: 0, no visually detected calcium; 1, a single high-density pixel detected; 3, calcium was dense enough to create a blooming artifact; and 2, calcium in between 1 and 3. Four groups were reclassified by the sum of the Weston scores from each vessel, as follows: noncalcification (0); mild calcification (1-4); moderate calcification (5-8); and severe calcification (9-12). Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was generated to identify the cutoff Weston score values for predicting significant CAS. Diagnostic estimates were calculated based on these cutoffs. In the ICA analysis, 62 of the 386 patients (16.1%) had significant CAS. All patients were divided into 4 groups. The noncalcification group had 97 subjects (Weston score 0), the mild degree group had 100 (2.6 ± 1.0), the moderate calcification group had 114 (6.6 ± 1.1), and the severe calcification group had 75 (10.7 ± 1.1). The prevalence of significant CAS in the noncalcification, mild, moderate, and severe groups was 1% (1/97), 5% (5/100), 24% (27/114), and 39% (29/75), respectively. The group with CAS had significantly more CAC than the group without CAS (8.37 ± 2.93 vs 4.01 ± 3.75, P < 0.001). The cutoff value (by Weston score) for predicting significant CAS is ≥5 (sensitivity 90.3%, specificity 59.0%, positive predictive value 29.6%, and negative predictive value 97%). The degree of CAC detected on noncontrast CT can help to predict significant CAS in AS patients who are referred for AVR. For the clinicians, the visual assessment of CAC on noncontrast CT was easy and useful for estimating CAS. Therefore, ICA should be recommended to selective patients based on patients' CAC and Weston scores during the preoperative evaluation for elective AVR.

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) is one of the most important lethal complications in pregnant mothers. It is also associated with the subsequent development of chronic hypertension. The objective of this study was to identify the clinical risk factors of postpartum chronic hypertension in women diagnosed with HDP.Six hundred patients as HDP, who diagnosed and followed-up at least 6 month after delivery, were included in the study. We divided the included subjects in 2 groups based on the development of postpartum chronic hypertension: presenting with the chronic hypertension, "case group" (n = 41) and without chronic hypertension, "control group" (n = 559).Clinical and demographic factors were evaluated. By multiple regression analysis, early onset hypertension with end-organ dysfunction, smoking, higher prepregnancy body mass index (BMI), and comorbidities, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or antiphospholipid syndrome (APLS), were associated with progression to chronic hypertension in the postpartum period. The value of area under the curves (AUC) for the 5 models, that generated to combine the significant factors, increased from 0.645 to 0.831, which indicated improved prediction of progression to the chronic hypertension. Additional multivariate analysis revealed significant specific risk factors.This retrospective single hospital-based study demonstrated that the clinical risk factors, that is early onset hypertension with end-organ dysfunction, smoking, and higher prepregnancy BMI, were significant independent predictors of chronic hypertension in women after delivery. Identification of risk factors allowed us to narrow the subject field for monitoring and managing high blood pressure in the postpartum period.

Objectives: Eisenmenger syndrome (ES) is commonly associated with depressive symptoms and elevated N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP). We investigated the predictive value of depressive symptoms and NTproBNP levels for long-term outcomes in patients with ES., Methods: Blood was drawn to measure NT-proBNP, and depressive symptoms were measured using the Korean version of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) in an outpatient clinic sample of 64 patients with ES (67% female; median age = 41.5 years [range, 21.0-74.8 years]). Cardiac events (hospitalization, emergency department visits, and cardiac death) were monitored during 3 years of follow-up., Results: During the follow-up period, 15 (23.4%) patients experienced a cardiac event. The combination of depressive symptoms and NT-proBNP levels better predicted future cardiac events than either variable alone. Patients with NT-proBNP > 510 pg/ml and a total BDI score > 10 had a 9.6 times higher risk for cardiac events than did patients with NT-proBNP ≤ 510 pg/ml or total BDI score ≤ 10 (p < .001)., Conclusions: Depressive symptoms and NT-proBNP levels are both associated with adverse clinical outcomes in ES.

Background: The optimal timing of surgical intervention remains controversial in asymptomatic patients with very severe aortic stenosis. We therefore compared the long-term results of early surgery and a conventional treatment strategy., Methods and Results: From 1996 to 2006, we prospectively included a total of 197 consecutive asymptomatic patients (99 men; age, 63+/-12 years) with very severe aortic stenosis. Patients were excluded if they had angina, syncope, exertional dyspnea, ejection fraction <0.50, significant mitral valve disease, or age >85 years. Very severe aortic stenosis was defined as a critical stenosis in the aortic valve area < or =0.75 cm(2) accompanied by a peak aortic jet velocity > or =4.5 m/s or a mean transaortic pressure gradient > or =50 mm Hg on Doppler echocardiography. The primary end point was defined as the composite of operative mortality and cardiac death during follow-up. Early surgery was performed on 102 patients, and a conventional treatment strategy was used for 95 patients. There were no significant differences between the 2 groups in terms of age, gender, European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation score, or ejection fraction. During a median follow-up of 1501 days, the operated group had no operative mortalities, no cardiac deaths, and 3 noncardiac deaths; the conventional treatment group had 18 cardiac and 10 noncardiac deaths. The estimated actuarial 6-year cardiac and all-cause mortality rates were 0% and 2+/-1% in the operated group and 24+/-5% and 32+/-6% in the conventional treatment group, respectively (P<0.001), and for 57 propensity score-matched pairs, the risk of all-cause mortality was significantly lower in the operated group than in the conventional treatment group (hazard ratio, 0.135; 95% confidence interval, 0.030 to 0.597; P=0.008)., Conclusions: Compared with the conventional treatment strategy, early surgery in patients with very severe aortic stenosis is associated with an improved long-term survival by decreasing cardiac mortality. Early surgery is therefore a therapeutic option to further improve clinical outcomes in asymptomatic patients with very severe aortic stenosis and low operative risk.

Objective: To analyze the computed tomography (CT) findings of fatty replacement in the right ventricle (RV) of asymptomatic subjects and to correlate the CT findings with electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormalities., Methods: This prospective study included 996 subjects who underwent ECG-gated 16-slice CT for determination of coronary calcium scores. The CT findings were analyzed in terms of location, pattern, and degree of RV fat infiltration, along with the shape and dimension of RV. The RV fat was regarded present when a region showed less than or equal to -30 Hounsfield units as revealed by CT., Results: Computed tomography features suggestive of RV fat were found in 169 subjects (17%; 136 men and 33 women; mean age, 56.3 years). The most frequent location of fat was the basal superior wall (93%); next was the middle superior wall (72%); and then, the RV outflow tract (44%). Subjects with moderate to severe involvement were older than those with mild involvement (P = 0.012). In 3 subjects, the RV wall thickening with fat was more than 5 mm. Angular deformity and undulating appearance of the RV also occurred in 25 (15%) and 20 subjects (12%), respectively. However, these were not patients with ECG findings positive for arrhythmogenic RV dysplasia., Conclusions: Asymptomatic subjects may have fat in RV on CT. However, these subjects show no RV dysfunction or significant ECG-abnormalities consistent with the diagnosis of arrhythmogenic RV dysplasia.

Objectives: Bile duct cancer is a rare malignancy with poor prognosis. We sought to determine the efficacy of concurrent chemoradiotherapy with doxifluridine and paclitaxel for extrahepatic bile duct cancer., Methods: Nineteen patients with unresectable extrahepatic bile duct cancer received doxifluridine (600 mg/m2) daily, intravenous paclitaxel (50 mg/m) weekly (before radiotherapy), and radiotherapy of 4500 cGy for approximately 5 weeks., Results: Local response rate which reflected the reopening of occluded bile duct was 89.5% (17 out of 19). In 6 cases (31.6%), overall response, which measured the change of tumor size, was achieved with this treatment. The longest survival time was 52 months, and median survival time was 14 months. One- and 2-year survival rates were 84.2% and 31.6%, respectively. One case of gastrointestinal bleeding and 1 case of grade III leukopenia occurred during the treatment. One patient could not finish the treatment because of poor general condition., Conclusions: Concurrent chemoradiotherapy with doxifluridine and paclitaxel seemed to produce a good clinical response without severe toxicity and improve survival rates in patients with extrahepatic bile duct cancer.

Objectives: Vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) is known to be an important lymphangiogenetic factor. Lymphatic spread is a key prognostic factor in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). We studied the expression of VEGF-C in ICC tissues to clarify its clinicopathologic significance., Methods: The expression of VEGF-C in surgical specimens obtained from 36 patients with ICC who underwent hepatic resection was examined by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. Strong staining was defined as the presence of VEGF-C immunoreactivity in at least 50% of the tumor cells. Immunoreactivity in approximately 10% to approximately 50% of the tumor cells was considered as weak staining, and less than 10% as no staining., Results: Of the 36 patients with ICC, 15 patients (41.7%) showed a strong positive result for VEGF-C. Eleven cases (30.6%) were negative and 10 cases (27.8%) showed weak immunoreactivity. VEGF-C expression was significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis (P = 0.032) and positive surgical margin (P = 0.03). Patients who had strong positive staining for VEGF-C showed significantly less favorable survival rates compared with patients who had negative or weak staining (P < 0.01). Other significant prognostic factors by univariate analysis were vascular invasion, lymph node involvement, and positive surgical margin. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that strong VEGF-C expression (P = 0.028) and vascular invasion (P = 0.021) were independent factors indicating poor prognosis., Conclusions: Our data suggest that VEGF-C expression serves as an independent and important prognostic factor in ICC patients, and it may play an important role in the lymph node metastasis of ICC.

Objectives: Little is known about the effects of chemotherapy on the immunity of cancer patient or the ideal timing for immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy. To address these questions, we evaluated the effect of gemcitabine and cisplatin combination chemotherapy on the immunity of pancreatic cancer patients., Methods: Thirteen patients with far advanced pancreatic cancer were enrolled and 7 sex- and age-matched healthy volunteers were included as a control group., Results: Compared with healthy controls, the amounts of peripheral blood mononuclear cells, dendritic cells (DCs), natural killer cells, CD4, and CD8 T cells were reduced. With this numerical suppression, NK cell cytotoxicity to K562 leukemia cells was also significantly impaired (7.7% +/- 4.9% versus 21.7% +/- 7.9% of DNA loss; P = 0.016). Serum concentrations of VEGF and interleukin-10 (IL-10) were higher than the control group (192.1 +/- 114.7 versus 50.8 +/- 39.5 pg/mL of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and 122 +/- 68.9 versus 111.4 +/- 37.4 pg/mL of IL-10). After 1 cycle of gemcitabine and cisplatin chemotherapy, the impaired immunity of patients with pancreatic cancer was restored. Specifically, the recovery of DCs occurred rapidly and exceeded the value of healthy controls. Levels of the immunosuppressive cytokines, IL-10 and VEGF, gradually decreased during chemotherapy., Conclusions: Systemic chemotherapy seems to be beneficial for restoring the impaired immunity of patients with pancreatic cancer, and one of the ideal times to collect DCs for immunotherapy is after completing each cycle of chemotherapy.