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Summary: The heterotypic CIC structures formed of cancer and immune cells have been observed in tumor tissues. We aimed to assess the feasibility of using heterotypic CICs as a functional biomarker to predict NK susceptibility and drug resistance. The heterotypic CIC-forming cancer cells showed a lower response to NK cytotoxicity and higher proliferative ability than non-CIC cancer cells. After treatment with anticancer drugs, cancer cells that formed heterotypic CICs showed a higher resistance to anticancer drugs than non-CIC cancer cells. We also observed the formation of more CIC structures in cancer cells treated with anticancer drugs than in the non-treated group. Our results confirm the association between heterotypic CIC structures and anticancer drug resistance in CICs formed from NK and cancer cells. These results suggest a mechanism underlying immune evasion in heterotypic CIC cancer cells and provide insights into the anticancer drug resistance of cancer cells.

Background and Objective Abnormal eating behaviors and decreased appetite are usually found in children with adenotonsillar hypertrophy (ATH). The aim of this study was to examine eating behaviors and appetite using Korean–Children’s Eating Behavior Questionnaire (K-CEBQ) in ATH children and compare the subgroups according to combined problems. Methods Parents of 147 children (boy 97, girl 50) aged 2.4–14.1 years (6.8 ± 6.86 yrs) completed a validated K-CEBQ from December 2015 to December 2016. Patients were categorized and compared between allergy (n = 41) and non-allergy (n = 104); with frequent upper respiratory tract infection (URI, n = 65) and without frequent URI (n = 82); with obstruction problems only (n = 57), with infectious problems only (n = 7) and with both problems (n = 83). Analyses were conducted to examine correlations between scores of the subscales, K-CEBQ and children subgroups. Results All subscales of K-CEBQ except food fussiness were not significantly different between allergy and non-allergy groups. However, food fussiness was significantly different between the two groups (p = 0.015). There were no significant differences in subscales of K-CEBQ for other comparisons. Conclusions ATH itself or sleep disordered breathing due to ATH might have a major contribution to appetite and eating behavior irrespective of allergy, recurrent URI, or surgical indications. Further study is needed to determine changes of appetite and eating behavior after adenotonsillectomy.

Background and Objectives: Patients with nonallergic rhinitis (Non-AR) or idiopathic rhinitis are common, with both conditions being classified as local allergic rhinitis (LAR). However, the link between LAR and CRS has not been identified. This study aimed to investigate the association of patient-reported local allergic symptoms with the postoperative outcomes of CRS. Materials and Method: We reviewed the medical records of 64 patients who underwent endoscopic sinus surgery for CRS. All patients underwent skin prick test, Multiple Allergosorbent Test, and computed tomography. Sneezing and nasal itching were defined as local allergic symptoms (LAS). We evaluated the relationships between clinical characteristics and recurrence rate of CRS according to the presence or absence of LAS. Results: In Non-AR patients, there was no significant difference in age, sex, and TNSS between the LAS (+) and LAS (-) groups. However, in all patients, the CRS recurrence rate was higher in the LAS (+) group (46.7%) than in the LAS (-) group (15.8%; p=0.02). A similar trend was observed in the Non-AR patients, showing that the CRS recurrence rate was significantly higher in the LAS (+) group (56%) than in the LAS (-) group (16.7%; p=0.024). Conclusion: The CRS recurrence rate was higher in patients with LAS regardless of the presence of AR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Although the effect of occupation or employment status on suicide risk is notable, there are few studies on the effect of precarious employment on suicide. We compared suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in precarious workers and their non-precarious counterparts using a representative sample from South Korea. Method The 2008 Korean Community Health Survey data were used for this study. Information was obtained on 52,161 participants (41,063 employees with non-precarious work and 11,098 employees with precarious work). The outcome of the logistic regression model was the presence of suicidal thoughts and attempts, and the independent variables were the demographics, socioeconomic status, and health status. Results Employees with precarious work were more likely to exhibit suicidal ideation (OR = 1.41; 95% CI, 1.28-1.55) and suicide attempts (OR = 1.52; 95% CI, 1.02-2.27) than employees with non-precarious work. After controlling for income and education (Model 2) depressive feelings (Model 6), compared with unadjusted model, remained significant but the odds ratio was largely attenuated, indicating a strong association between suicidal risk and socioeconomic and feelings of depression. Conclusion Precarious workers had a higher risk of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts than non-precarious workers. Our study suggests that precarious employment is an important risk for suicide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]