Adipose-derived stem cells decolonize skin Staphylococcus aureus by enhancing phagocytic activity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in the atopic rats

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus ) is known to induce apoptosis of host immune cells and impair phagocytic clearance, thereby being pivotal in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD). Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) exert therapeutic effects against inflammatory and immune diseases. In the present study, we investigated whether systemic administration of ASCs restores the phagocytic activity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and decolonizes cutaneous S.aureus under AD conditions. AD was induced by injecting capsaicin into neonatal rat pups. ASCs were extracted from the subcutaneous adipose tissues of naïve rats and administered to AD rats once a week for a month. Systemic administration of ASCs ameliorated AD-like symptoms, such as dermatitis scores, serum IgE, IFN-γ+/IL-4+ cell ratio, and skin colonization by S. aureus in AD rats. Increased FasL mRNA and annexin V+/7-AAD+ cells in the PBMCs obtained from AD rats were drastically reversed when co-cultured with ASCs. In contrast, both PBMCs and CD163+ cells bearing fluorescent zymosan particles significantly increased in AD rats treated with ASCs. Additionally, the administration of ASCs led to an increase in the mRNA levels of antimicrobial peptides, such as cathelicidin and β-defensin, in the skin of AD rats. Our results demonstrate that systemic administration of ASCs led to decolonization of S. aureus by attenuating apoptosis of immune cells in addition to restoring phagocytic activity. This contributes to the improvement of skin conditions in AD rats. Therefore, administration of ASCs may be helpful in the treatment of patients with intractable AD.

The Latest Trends in Attention Mechanisms and Their Application in Medical Imaging

Deep learning has recently achieved remarkable results in the field of medical imaging. However, as a deep learning network becomes deeper to improve its performance, it becomes more difficult to interpret the processes within. This can especially be a critical problem in medical fields where diagnostic decisions are directly related to a patient's survival. In order to solve this, explainable artificial intelligence techniques are being widely studied, and an attention mechanism was developed as part of this approach. In this paper, attention techniques are divided into two types: post hoc attention, which aims to analyze a network that has already been trained, and trainable attention, which further improves network performance. Detailed comparisons of each method, examples of applications in medical imaging, and future perspectives will be covered.

The Latest Trends in Attention Mechanisms and Their Application in Medical Imaging

Deep learning has recently achieved remarkable results in the field of medical imaging. However, as a deep learning network becomes deeper to improve its performance, it becomes more difficult to interpret the processes within. This can especially be a critical problem in medical fields where diagnostic decisions are directly related to a patient's survival. In order to solve this, explainable artificial intelligence techniques are being widely studied, and an attention mechanism was developed as part of this approach. In this paper, attention techniques are divided into two types: post hoc attention, which aims to analyze a network that has already been trained, and trainable attention, which further improves network performance. Detailed comparisons of each method, examples of applications in medical imaging, and future perspectives will be covered.

Epidemiologic Study of Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 Expression in Advanced/Metastatic Gastric Cancer: an Assessment of Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 Status in Tumor Tissue Samples of Gastric and Gastro-Esophageal Junction Cancer

PURPOSE: The Trastuzumab for gastric cancer (GC) trial identified human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) as a predictor of successful treatment with trastuzumab (HER2 receptor targeting agent) among patients with advanced/metastatic GC. To date, the prevalence of HER2 overexpression in the Korean population is unknown. The present study aimed to assess the incidence of HER2 positivity among GC and gastroesophageal (GE) junction cancer samples and the relationship between HER2 overexpression and clinicopathological characteristics in Korean patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Tumor samples collected from 1,695 patients with histologically proven GC or GE junction enrolled at 14 different hospitals in Korea were examined. After gathering clinicopathological data of all patients, HER2 status was assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) at each hospital, and IHC 2+ cases were subjected to silver-enhanced in situ hybridization at 3 central laboratories. RESULTS: A total of 182 specimens tested positive for HER2, whereas 1,505 tested negative. Therefore, the overall HER2-positive rate in this study was 10.8% (95% confidence interval: 9.3%–12.3%). The HER2-positive rate was higher among intestinal-type cases (17.6%) than among other types, and was higher among patients older than 70 years and 50 years of age, compared to other age groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our evaluation of the HER2 positivity rate (10.8%) among Korean patients with GC and GE junction indicated the necessity of epidemiological data when conducting studies related to HER2 expression in GC and GE junction.

The Association between Atopic Dermatitis and Depressive Symptoms in Korean Adults: The Fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007-2012 / 가정의학회지

BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is characterized by pruritic and eczematous skin lesions, which often cause depressive symptoms, anxiety, stress, sleep disturbances, social withdrawal, and stigmatization. METHODS: In total, 23,442 subjects (434 AD patients and 23,008 control subjects) aged 19 years or older and without a history of major medical illness or depressive disorders were selected from The Fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2012. Following the initial selection, 2,170 age- and sex-matched control subjects were selected using 1:5 propensity score matching. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the presence of depressive symptoms of at least 2 weeks in duration. RESULTS: The demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical characteristics of AD patients and control subjects were presented and compared, and some variables differed significantly between groups. Presence of depressive symptoms was set as dependent variable, and multiple logistic regression analysis was performed as follows: (1) unadjusted; (2) with alcohol use, exercise status, smoking status, and body mass index (BMI) adjusted for; and (3) with alcohol use, exercise status, smoking status, marital status, occupation, BMI, total caloric intake, history of hypertension, and history of diabetes mellitus adjusted for. Depressive symptoms were significantly higher (odds ratios, 1.46, 1.40, and 1.36; 95% confidence intervals, 1.09-1.95, 1.0.4-1.88, and 1.01-1.85, respectively) in AD patients relative to those of matched controls. CONCLUSION: AD and clinical depression interact closely, and causal relationships between the two conditions have frequently been observed. Physicians should consider mental health interventions cautiously. It is particularly important that primary care physicians provide comprehensive, continuous long-term care.

Excision of Benign Breast Lesion by an Ultrasound-Guided Mammotome Biopsy Device

PURPOSE: Percutaneous vacuum-assisted breast biopsy (Mammotome, Fa. Ethicon Endo-Surgery Breast Care) is now commonly performed as the initial approach to diagnose and treat benign breast lesions. It can obviate the need for surgery in women with benign lesions and often lead to a one-stage surgical procedure when malignant lesions are diagnosed. The purpose of this study was to report the outcome of the Mammotome biopsy.. METHODS: We performed 902 cases of Mammotome biopsy (total 474 patients) to confirm the diagnosis and to excise the lesion between January 2003 and December 2006. Among all these cases, 888 cases with radiographically suspected benign lesions, below BI-RADS category 4, were followed up for more than 6 months and we analyzed clinical and pathologic results of these cases, retrospectively. Ultrasonographic follow-up examinations were performed and no malignant tumor or atypical ductal hyperplasia was included. RESULTS: The mean patient age was 42 (range: 17~76) years. The average size of lesion was 1.12 (range: 0.20~5.0) cm. In BI-RADS category, there were 450 (49.8%) C2 lesions, 158 (17.8%) C3 lesions and 251 (27.8%) C4 lesions. Histology revealed 506 cases (56.0%) of fibrocystic disease, 295 (32.7%) fibroadenomas, 11 (1.1%) intraductal papillomas, 16 cases (1.7%) of sclerosing adenosis, 21 cases (2.5%) of ductal epithelial hyperplasia, 18 cases (2.1%) of fat necrosis, 3 cases (0.3%) of gynecomastia, 18 cases (1.9%) of chronic inflammation. 824 lesions (92.8%) were completely removed, 39 cases (4.4%) of residual lesion and 25 cases (2.8%) of postoperative scar were reported. CONCLUSION: Mammotome biopsy is an effective diagnostic and therapeutic management of benign breast lesions with minimal-invasiveness and minimizes postoperative complications.