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The TARDBP gene variant is a known major cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), with limited reports of Korean patients with ALS harboring the variants in TARDBP. This large cohort study introduces four ALS patients who share the p.M337V variant of the TARDBP, allowing for an investigation of clinical characteristics and prognosis by analyzing previously reported cases with the same variant. From November 2014 to August 2022, participants were recruited from two tertiary hospitals in Seoul, Korea. Clinical characteristics of patients diagnosed with ALS carrying the variant in TARDBP were evaluated. Previous articles demonstrating subjects' characteristics were reviewed. Four patients were identified with the pathogenic missense variant (c.1009A>G; p.M337V) in the TARDBP. The mean age of onset was 55 years old, and none of the patients showed severe cognitive impairment. Sixty-three patients carrying the p.M337V variant in TARDBP from this study and previous reports delineated young age of onset (51.6 years), high frequency of bulbar onset patients (61.9%), and low comorbidity of frontotemporal dementia. This study reveals the presence of pathogenic variant of TARDBP in Korea and emphasizes the importance of genetic screening of the TARDBP gene, in diagnosing ALS and evaluating prognosis among familial and simplex ALS patients in Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smoking is a risk factor for gastric cancer (GC) and causes oxidative stress. Antioxidant vitamins may protect against oxidative stress. This study aimed to determine the association between dietary antioxidant vitamin intake and GC risk according to smoking status and the histological subtype. This case-control study included 286 pairs of patients with GC and controls aged 20–79 years enrolled at two hospitals from 2002 to 2006, matched by age (± 2 years), sex, hospital, and participation period (± 1 years). Dietary information was collected using a quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). When stratified by smoking status, increased intake of vitamin C (OR = 0.38; 95% CI = 0.17–0.84 for highest vs. lowest; P for trend = 0.033) and folate (OR = 0.28; 95% CI = 0.12–0.64 for highest vs. lowest; P for trend = 0.003) decreased GC risk in nonsmokers. Vitamin C (P for interaction = 0.043) and folate (P for interaction =0.015) levels were significantly associated with smoking status. Similar results were observed in nonsmokers with diffuse and mixed types of GC, but not in those with intestinal type of GC. Therefore, we found an inverse association between higher intake of dietary vitamin C and folate with the risk of GC among nonsmokers. These protective associations were strong in nonsmokers with diffuse and mixed types of GC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sodium and zinc display opposite effects on immune cells, such as regulatory T cells (Tregs) and T helper 17 cells (Th17), resulting in an altered immune response. Immune cells have a pivotal role in regulating tumor progression, which may affect gastric cancer (GC) mortality. Thus, this cohort study investigated the associations between the combination of sodium and zinc intake and GC mortality and whether these associations differ by histological type by following up deaths of GC cases in Korea. A total of 490 patients with GC were enrolled between 2002 and 2006. Survival or death was prospectively followed up until December 31, 2016. Finally, 300 patients with the two main histological types of GC were included; 99 GC deaths occurred during a median follow-up period of 7.1 years. Patients with high sodium and low zinc intake had a significantly higher GC mortality than those with low sodium and high zinc intake (hazard ratio [HR], 2.07; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09–3.93). However, no significant association was found between the histological types of GC. In conclusion, we found that high sodium and low zinc intake may worsen the survival rate of patients with GC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controversies exist regarding the impact of age on gastric cancer-related mortality according to cancer stage. In our prospective cohort study, we evaluated the impact of age on stage-specific mortality in patients with gastric cancer. Between 2002 and 2006, patients with newly diagnosed gastric cancer were recruited from two university-affiliated hospitals in Korea. Follow-up data were updated regularly based on medical records and telephone surveys. Patients were classified into four subgroups according to age: <50, 50–59, 60–69, and 70–79 years. A total of 448 patients were followed up for 81.6 months (interquartile range, 25.0–139.3 months). The number of patients with stage I, II, III, and IV disease was 247, 74, 88, and 39, respectively. Overall, age was an independent risk factor for gastric cancer-specific mortality (hazard ratio [HR], [95% confidence interval (CI)]: 1.53 [0.91–2.57], 1.88 [1.21–2.91], and 2.64 [1.69–4.14] in the 50–59, 60–69, and 70–79 years groups, respectively, with the <50 years group as reference). In patients with stage I and II gastric cancer, the 70–79 years group was associated with a significantly higher rate of cancer-specific mortality than the <50 years group (stage I: HR [95% CI], 9.55 [2.11–43.12]; stage II: HR [95% CI], 7.17 [2.32–22.18]). However, age was not an independently associated factor for cancer-specific mortality in patients with stage III and IV gastric cancer. Although age was an independent risk factor for gastric cancer-related mortality in patients with gastric cancer, its impact may differ depending on the stage of cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the efficacy of first-line cytotoxic chemotherapy plus bevacizumab and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of angiogenic genes in patients with advanced colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods: DNA was extracted from blood samples of 125 patients, and 12 SNPs were evaluated for association with the objective response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). Results: The vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) rs833061 T/T was associated with superior ORR compared to its alternative genotypes (75.9 vs. 50.8%; p = 0.008), and the interleukin 8 rs4073 A/A genotype tended to be associated with poor ORR (45.0 vs. 66.0%; p = 0.067). The median PFS and OS were superior in patients with the fms-related tyrosine kinase 1 (FLT1) rs9513070 A/A genotype (8.7 vs. 6.6 months; p = 0.001 and 26.4 vs. 16.1 months; p = 0.038, respectively). The kinase insert domain receptor rs1531289 G/G genotype tended to be associated with improved PFS (8.0 vs. 7.1 months; p = 0.069). In haplotype analysis, the FLT1 rs9513070/rs9554320/rs9582036 GCA haplotype was associated with inferior PFS and OS (p = 0.004 and p = 0.041, respectively). Conclusion: The VEGFA rs833061 SNP is associated with the ORR, and the FLT1 rs9513070 SNP and FLT1 GCA haplotypes are associated with PFS and OS in advanced CRC patients treated with cytotoxic chemotherapy plus bevacizumab. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: To date, there are about 49 biogas plants in South Korea that are generally recognized as economically and technically unsuccessful due to lack of knowhow, deficient technologies and policies. There is a need to analyze the status of biogas technology and policy in South Korea from the point of view of an external biogas expert, since biogas technology in South Korea has not yet been analyzed by foreign biogas experts so far. For analyzing site investigation, literature research and interviews are performed. It was found that there are several lacks of conceptual design of biogas technology, such as plant dimension, energy balance, operation knowhow. Technical and financial support for the development of biogas technology was insufficient so far. There are some policies to support biogas technologies, however financial support from different ministries seemed not to have been used efficiently. Some policies are planned excessively so that they cannot be realized on time. Based on the general policy called “Green Growth”, the Korean government plans to establish a biogas market in South Korea in order to recover energy from organic waste. For this purpose, R&D efforts should be intensified for consulting and education in national and international networks for the transfer of knowhow and technologies. Definition of the existing restrictions on the development of biogas technology is required. By developing a biogas roadmap, the creation of a biogas market could be promoted efficiently in South Korea. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The aim of this study is to analyze the relationship among groundwater productivity data including specific capacity (SPC) and transmissivity (T) as well as its related hydrogeological factors in a bedrock aquifer, and subsequently, to produce the regional groundwater productivity potential (GPP) map for the area around Pohang City, Korea using a geographic information system (GIS) and a weights-of-evidence (WOE) model. All of the related factors, including topography, lineament, geology, forest, and soil data were collected and input into a spatial database. In addition, SPC and T data were collected from 83 and 81 well locations, respectively. Four dependent variables including SPC values of ≥6.25m3/d/m (Case 1) and T values of ≥3.79m2/d (Case 3) corresponding to a yield (Y) of ≥500m3/d, and SPC values of ≥3.75m3/d/m (Case 2) and T values of ≥2.61m2/d (Case 4) corresponding to a Y of ≥300m3/d were also input into a spatial database. The SPC and T data were randomly selected in an approximately 70:30 ratio to train and validate the WOE model. Tests of conditional independence were performed for the used factors. To assess the regional GPP for each dependent variable, W+ and W− of each factor’s rating were overlaid spatially. The results of the analysis were validated using area under curve (AUC) analysis with the existing SPC and T data that were not used for the training of the model. The AUC of Cases 1, 2, 3 and 4 showed 0.7120, 0.6893, 0.6920, and 0.7098, respectively. In the case of the dependent variables, Case 1 had an accuracy of 71.20% (AUC: 0.7120), which is the best result produced in this analysis. Such information and the maps generated from it could be used for groundwater management, a practice related to groundwater resource exploration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Diet is a critical risk factor for gastric cancer, and Koreans consume significantly high amounts of carbohydrates. This study examined the association between carbohydrate intake, glycemic index, and glycemic load and the risk of gastric cancer and whether the association varied based on the general risk factors for gastric cancer. We hypothesized that carbohydrate intake, glycemic index, and glycemic load elevated gastric cancer risk and the relationship differed by the gastric cancer risk factors. This was a case-control study with a total of 307 matched pairs aged 20 to 79 years. Data collection was completed at two hospitals from December 2002 to September 2006. A food frequency questionnaire was applied for dietary assessment. Carbohydrate intake was not related to gastric cancer risk. However, a high glycemic index (odds ratio [OR], 1.88; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.18-2.97) and glycemic load (OR, 2.51; 95% CI, 1.53-4.12) were significantly associated with the elevated risk of gastric cancer. When the relationship between glycemic load and gastric cancer risk was stratified by risk factors for gastric cancer, the gastric cancer risk especially increased among men, ≥65 years, smokers, drinkers, and people with Helicobacter pylori infection. Although there was no association between carbohydrate consumption and gastric cancer, high glycemic index and glycemic load were associated with the increased gastric cancer risk. [Display omitted] Although there was no association between carbohydrate consumption and gastric cancer, high glycemic index and glycemic load were significantly associated with the increased gastric cancer risk. When the relationship between glycemic load and gastric cancer risk was stratified by risk factors for gastric cancer, the gastric cancer risk especially increased among men, ≥65 years, smokers, drinkers, and people with Helicobacter pylori infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]