Impaired breakdown of Herwig's epithelial root sheath disturbs tooth root development.

BACKGROUND: Wnt/ß-catenin signaling plays a variety of roles in both the dental epithelium and mesenchyme at most stages of tooth development. In this study, we verified the roles of Hertwig's epithelial root sheath (HERS) breakdown in tooth root development. This breakdown results in formation of epithelial cell rests of Malassez (ERM). RESULTS: Following induction of ß-catenin stabilization in the epithelium of developing tooth at the moment of HERS breakdown, HERS failed to break down for ERM formation. HERS with stabilized ß-catenin was altered into a multicellular layer enveloping elongated root dentin with higher expression of junctional proteins such as Zo-1 and E-cadherin. Importantly, this impairment of HERS breakdown led to arrest of further root elongation. In addition, the portion of root dentin enveloped by the undissociated HERS remained in a hypomineralized state. The odontoblasts showed ectopically higher expression of pyrophosphate regulators including Ank and Npp1, whereas Tnap expression was unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that Wnt/ß-catenin signaling is decreased in HERS for ERM formation during root development. Furthermore, ERM formation is important for further elongation and dentin mineralization of the tooth roots. These findings may provide new insight to understand the contribution of ERM to root formation.

Powering the Future by Iron Sulfide Type Material (FexSy) Based Electrochemical Materials for Water Splitting and Energy Storage Applications: A Review.

Water electrolysis is among the recent alternatives for generating clean fuels (hydrogen). It is an efficient way to produce pure hydrogen at a rapid pace with no unwanted by-products. Effective and cheap water-splitting electrocatalysts with enhanced activity, specificity, and stability are currently widely studied. In this regard, noble metal-free transition metal-based catalysts are of high interest. Iron sulfide (FeS) is one of the essential electrocatalysts for water splitting because of its unique structural and electrochemical features. This article discusses the significance of FeS and its nanocomposites as efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER), hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), and overall water splitting. FeS and its nanocomposites have been studied also for energy storage in the form of electrode materials in supercapacitors and lithium- (LIBs) and sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). The structural and electrochemical characteristics of FeS and its nanocomposites, as well as the synthesis processes, are discussed in this work. This discussion correlates these features with the requirements for electrocatalysts in overall water splitting and its associated reactions. As a result, this study provides a road map for researchers seeking economically viable, environmentally friendly, and efficient electrochemical materials in the fields of green energy production and storage.

Bio-fabricated bismuth-based materials for removal of emerging environmental contaminants from wastewater.

Although rapid industrialization has made life easier for humans, several associated issues are emerging and harming the environment. Wastewater is regarded as one of the key problems of the 21st century due to its massive production every year and requires immediate attention from all stakeholders to protect the environment. Since the introduction of nanotechnology, bismuth-based nanomaterials have been used in variety of applications. Various techniques, such as hydrothermal, solvo-thermal and biosynthesis, have been reported for synthesizing these materials, etc. Among these, biosynthesis is eco-friendly, cost-effective, and less toxic than conventional chemical methods. The prime focuses of this review are to elaborate biosynthesis of bismuth-based nanomaterials via bio-synthetic agents such as plant, bacteria and fungi and their application in wastewater treatment as anti-pathogen/photocatalyst for pollutant degradation. Besides this, future perspectives have been presented for the upcoming research in this field, along with concluding remarks.

Degradation of cefadroxil drug by newly designed solar light responsive alcoholic template-based lanthanum ferrite nanoparticles.

In this work, lanthanum ferrite nanoparticles were synthesized via a simple co-precipitation method. Two different templates, namely sorbitol and mannitol, were used in this synthesis to tune the optical, structural, morphological, and photocatalytic properties of lanthanum ferrite. The synthesized lanthanum ferrite-sorbitol (LFOCo-So) and lanthanum ferrite-mannitol (LFOCo-Mo) were investigated through Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR), Raman, Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX), and photoluminescence (PL) techniques to study the effects of the templates on the tunable properties of lanthanum ferrite nanoparticles. The UV-Vis study revealed a remarkably small bandgap (2.09 eV) of LFOCo-So compared to the LFOCo-Mo having a band gap of 2.46 eV. XRD analysis revealed a single-phased structure of LFOCo-So, whereas LFOCo-Mo showed different phases. The calculated crystallite sizes of LFOCo-So and LFOCo-Mo were 22 nm and 39 nm, respectively. FTIR spectroscopy indicated the characteristics of metal-oxygen vibrations of perovskites in both lanthanum ferrite (LFO) nanoparticles, whereas a slight shifting of Raman scattering modes in LFOCo-Mo in contrast to LFOCo-So showed the octahedral distortion of the perovskite by changing the template. SEM micrographs indicated porous particles of lanthanum ferrite with LFOCo-So being more uniformly distributed, and EDX confirmed the stoichiometric ratios of the lanthanum, iron, and oxygen in the fabricated lanthanum ferrite. The high-intensity green emission in the photoluminescence spectrum of LFOCo-So indicated more prominent oxygen vacancies than LFOCo-Mo. The photocatalytic efficiency of synthesized LFOCo-So and LFOCo-Mo was investigated against cefadroxil drug under solar light irradiation. At optimized photocatalytic conditions, LFOCo-So showed higher degradation efficiency of 87% in only 20 min than LFOCo-Mo having photocatalytic activity of 81%. The excellent recyclability of the LFOCo-So reflected that it could be reused without affecting photocatalytic efficiency. These findings showed that sorbitol is a useful template for the lanthanum ferrite particles imparting outstanding features, enabling it to be used as an efficient photocatalyst for environmental remediation.

Bio-mitigation of organic pollutants using horseradish peroxidase as a promising biocatalytic platform for environmental sustainability.

A wide array of environmental pollutants is often generated and released into the ecosystem from industrial and human activities. Antibiotics, phenolic compounds, hydroquinone, industrial dyes, and Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) are prevalent pollutants in water matrices. To promote environmental sustainability and minimize the impact of these pollutants, it is essential to eliminate such contaminants. Although there are multiple methods for pollutants removal, many of them are inefficient and environmentally unfriendly. Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) has been widely explored for its ability to oxidize the aforementioned pollutants, both alone and in combination with other peroxidases, and in an immobilized way. Numerous positive attributes make HRP an excellent biocatalyst in the biodegradation of diverse environmentally hazardous pollutants. In the present review, we underlined the major advancements in the HRP for environmental research. Numerous immobilization and combinational studies have been reviewed and summarized to comprehend the degradability, fate, and biotransformation of pollutants. In addition, a possible deployment of emerging computational methodologies for improved catalysis has been highlighted, along with future outlook and concluding remarks.

Maternal Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and the Risk of Early Childhood Obesity in Female Offspring: A Nationwide Population-Based Study.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the relationship between polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in Korean women and childhood growth and obesity of their offspring. METHODS: This longitudinal case-control study using the Korean National Health Insurance claims database and the National Health Screening Program for Infants and Children database included women who delivered singletons between January 2007 and December 2008. Offspring's body mass index (BMI) measurements taken between 42 and 80 months of age were compared according to a maternal history of PCOS. RESULTS: Among a total of 131,805 participants, 1,213 women had a history of PCOS and 130,592 women did not. Female offspring aged 66-80 months born to women with PCOS had significantly higher BMI than those born to women without PCOS; there was no significant difference in that of male offspring regardless of maternal PCOS. In the generalized estimating equation and multivariable logistic regression analyses, the female offspring born to women with PCOS had a significantly higher risk of obesity during the age of 42-54 and 66-80 months (odds ratio [OR], 1.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09-2.21 and OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.05-2.15, respectively), than those born to women without PCOS, after adjusting for several confounding factors. CONCLUSION: Maternal PCOS is independently associated with an increased incidence of childhood obesity in female offspring among Korean women. Women with PCOS should consider the risk of early childhood obesity in their daughters, even if they maintain a healthy weight themselves.

A Randomized, Multicenter, Double-Blind, Parallel, Non-Inferiority Clinical Study to Compare the Efficacy and Safety of Unicenta and Melsmon for Menopausal Symptom Improvement.

This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Unicenta in female subjects with menopausal symptoms by analyzing the changes in the Kupperman index (primary endpoint) and hormonal changes (secondary endpoint). It was a randomized, multi-center, double-blind, parallel, non-inferiority clinical study conducted at two different tertiary medical centers. A Unicenta injection was shown to be non-inferior to Melsmon based on the Kupperman index in both the intent-to-treat and per-protocol populations (p = 0.789 and p = 0.826, respectively). Additionally, there were no statistically significant differences in hormone levels (estradiol, follicular-stimulating hormone) or in the evaluation of facial flushes. There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence rate of adverse events between the two groups (p = 0.505). The study demonstrated that Unicenta is not inferior to Melsmon in terms of the change in the Kupperman index after 12 days of injection. The efficacy and safety of Unicenta were shown, resulting in the improvement of menopausal symptoms.

Age at Menopause and Suicidal Ideation in Menopausal Women: A Study of Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Data.

BACKGROUND: Although menopause is considered a risk factor for depression, no association has been established between the risk of suicidal ideation and age at menopause. This study aimed to evaluate the association between age at menopause and suicidal ideation in middle-aged menopausal Korean women. METHODS: This cross-sectional study used data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2013-2018). Women aged 40-65 years were divided into the following three categories: primary ovarian insufficiency (POI), early menopause, and menopause, according to age at natural menopause (< 40, 40-45, and > 45 years, respectively). Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). RESULTS: Among 2,232 menopausal women, 25 (1.1%) experienced POI and 114 (5.1%) experienced early menopause. The PHQ-9 items that pertained to low self-esteem and suicidal ideation scored higher in women with POI than in those who experienced menopause after 45 years of age. The prevalence of suicidal ideation differed significantly according to age at menopause (POI, 30.0%; early menopause, 12.7%; menopause, 8.0%; P = 0.016). Logistic regression analysis revealed that POI was significantly associated with suicidal ideation after the adjustment for age, body mass index, and education, household income, and walking levels (odds ratio, 4.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.0-17.7). CONCLUSION: Korean middle-aged women with POI were more likely to have suicidal ideation than those who experienced menopause at 45 years or above, despite not being diagnosed with major depressive disorder.

Artificial intelligence approaches to the determinants of women's vaginal dryness using general hospital data.

The aim of this study is to analyse the determinants of women's vaginal dryness using machine learning. Data came from Korea University Anam Hospital in Seoul, Republic of Korea, with 3298 women, aged 40-80 years, who attended their general health check from January 2010 to December 2012. Five machine learning methods were applied and compared for the prediction of vaginal dryness, measured by a Menopause Rating Scale. Random forest variable importance, a performance gap between a complete model and a model excluding a certain variable, was adopted for identifying major determinants of vaginal dryness. In terms of the mean squared error, the random forest (1.0597) was much better than linear regression (17.9043) and artificial neural networks with one, two and three hidden layers (1.7452, 1.7148 and 1.7736, respectively). Based on random forest variable importance, the top-10 determinants of vaginal dryness were menopause age, age, menopause, height, thyroid stimulating hormone, neutrophils, years since menopause, lymphocytes, alkaline phosphatase and blood urea nitrogen. In addition, its top-20 determinants were peak expiratory flow rate, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, white blood cells, monocytes, cancer antigen 19-9, creatinine, eosinophils, total cholesterol, triglyceride and amylase. Machine learning presents a great decision support system for the prediction of vaginal dryness. For preventing vaginal dryness, preventive measures would be needed regarding early menopause, the thyroid function and systematic inflammation.Impact StatementWhat is already known on this subject? Only a few studies have investigated the risk factors of vaginal dryness in middle-aged women. More research is to be done for finding its various risk factors, identifying its major risk groups and drawing its effective clinical implications.What do the results of this study add? This study is the first machine-learning study to predict women's vaginal dryness and analyse their determinants. The random forest could discuss which factors are more important for the prediction of vaginal dryness. Based on random forest variable importance, menopause age was the most important determinant of vaginal dryness and their association was discovered to be negative in this study. Vaginal dryness was closely associated with the height, rather than the body weight or body mass index. The importance rankings of blood conditions related to systematic inflammation were within the top-20 in this study: neutrophils, lymphocytes, white blood cells, monocytes and eosinophils.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? Machine learning presents a great decision support system for the prediction of vaginal dryness. For preventing vaginal dryness, preventive measures would be needed regarding early menopause and systematic inflammation.

Cell dynamics in Hertwig's epithelial root sheath are regulated by ß-catenin activity during tooth root development.

ß-catenin, a key mediator of Wnt signaling, plays multiple roles in tooth development. However, the role of ß-catenin in Hertwig's epithelial root sheath (HERS) during root formation remains unclear. In this study, we generated inducible tissue-specific ß-catenin conditional knockout mice (Ctnnb1i∆shh ) to investigate how ß-catenin in HERS affects tooth root development. The inactivation of ß-catenin in HERS led to interrupted root elongation due to premature disruption of HERS. This phenotype was accompanied by reduced cell-cell adhesion and decreased expression of junctional proteins, as well as increased epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition of HERS cells upon ß-catenin depletion. Accordingly, stabilization of ß-catenin in HERS (Catnbi∆shh ) led to the formation of unfragmented HERS and resulted in the failure of HERS dissociation, with increased expression of junctional proteins. Our results suggest that fine control of ß-catenin is important for HERS to guide root formation through regulating its structural integrity.

Machine Learning Approaches to Identify Factors Associated with Women's Vasomotor Symptoms Using General Hospital Data.

BACKGROUND: To analyze the factors associated with women's vasomotor symptoms (VMS) using machine learning. METHODS: Data on 3,298 women, aged 40-80 years, who attended their general health check-up from January 2010 to December 2012 were obtained from Korea University Anam Hospital in Seoul, Korea. Five machine learning methods were applied and compared for the prediction of VMS, measured by the Menopause Rating Scale. Variable importance, the effect of a variable on model performance, was used for identifying the major factors associated with VMS. RESULTS: In terms of the mean squared error, the random forest (0.9326) was much better than linear regression (12.4856) and artificial neural networks with one, two, and three hidden layers (1.5576, 1.5184, and 1.5833, respectively). Based on the variable importance from the random forest, the most important factors associated with VMS were age, menopause age, thyroid-stimulating hormone, and monocyte, triglyceride, gamma glutamyl transferase, blood urea nitrogen, cancer antigen 19-9, C-reactive protein, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Indeed, the following variables were ranked within the top 20 in terms of variable importance: cancer antigen 125, total cholesterol, insulin, free thyroxine, forced vital capacity, alanine aminotransferase, forced expired volume in 1 second, height, homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance, and carcinoembryonic antigen. CONCLUSION: Machine learning provides an invaluable decision support system for the prediction of VMS. For managing VMS, comprehensive consideration is needed regarding thyroid function, lipid profile, liver function, inflammation markers, insulin resistance, monocyte count, cancer antigens, and lung function.

Role of Klotho as a Modulator of Oxidative Stress Associated with Ovarian Tissue Cryopreservation.

Ovarian tissue cryopreservation is the only option for preserving fertility in adult and prepubertal cancer patients who require immediate chemotherapy or do not want ovarian stimulation. However, whether ovarian tissue cryopreservation can ameliorate follicular damage and inhibit the production of reactive oxygen species in cryopreserved ovarian tissue remains unclear. Oxidative stress is caused by several factors, such as UV exposure, obesity, age, oxygen, and cryopreservation, which affect many of the physiological processes involved in reproduction, from maturation to fertilization, embryonic development, and pregnancy. Here, freezing and thawing solutions were pre-treated with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and klotho protein upon the freezing of ovarian tissue. While both NAC and klotho protein suppressed DNA fragmentation by scavenging reactive oxygen species, NAC induced apoptosis and tissue damage in mouse ovarian tissue. Klotho protein inhibited NAC-induced apoptosis and restored cellular tissue damage, suggesting that klotho protein may be an effective antioxidant for the cryopreservation of ovarian tissue.

The Effectiveness of Anti-Apoptotic Agents to Preserve Primordial Follicles and Prevent Tissue Damage during Ovarian Tissue Cryopreservation and Xenotransplantation.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) and Z-VAD-FMK (Z-VAD) as anti-apoptotic agents to preserve ovarian function and prevent tissue damage during ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation. This study consisted of two steps, in vitro and in vivo. In the first step, human ovarian tissues were cryopreserved using slow-freezing media alone, S1P, or Z-VAD (control, S1P, Z-VAD group); based on the outcomes in these groups, Z-VAD was selected for subsequent xenotransplantation. In the second step, human frozen/thawed ovarian tissues were grafted into fifty mice divided into three groups: slow-freezing/thawing and transplantation without an anti-apoptotic agent (Trans-control) and xenotransplantation with or without Z-VAD injection (Trans-Z-VAD-positive and Trams-Z-VAD-negative groups, respectively). In the first step, the Z-VAD group had a significantly higher primordial follicular count than the S1P (p = 0.005) and control groups (p = 0.04). Transplanted ovarian tissues were obtained 4 weeks after transplantation (second step). Angiogenesis was significantly increased in the Z-VAD-negative (p = 0.03) and -positive (p = 0.04) groups compared to the control group. This study demonstrated that slow-freezing and transplantation with Z-VAD is an effective method for preserving primordial follicle counts, decreasing double-strand DNA breaks, and increasing angiogenesis in a mouse model. Further molecular and clinical studies are needed to confirm these results.

Molecular Mechanism and Prevention Strategy of Chemotherapy- and Radiotherapy-Induced Ovarian Damage.

Fertility preservation is an emerging discipline, which is of substantial clinical value in the care of young patients with cancer. Chemotherapy and radiation may induce ovarian damage in prepubertal girls and young women. Although many studies have explored the mechanisms implicated in ovarian toxicity during cancer treatment, its molecular pathophysiology is not fully understood. Chemotherapy may accelerate follicular apoptosis and follicle reservoir utilization and damage the ovarian stroma via multiple molecular reactions. Oxidative stress and the radiosensitivity of oocytes are the main causes of gonadal damage after radiation treatment. Fertility preservation options can be differentiated by patient age, desire for conception, treatment regimen, socioeconomic status, and treatment duration. This review will help highlight the importance of multidisciplinary oncofertility strategies for providing high-quality care to young female cancer patients.

Advances in the Treatment and Prevention of Chemotherapy-Induced Ovarian Toxicity.

Due to improvements in chemotherapeutic agents, cancer treatment efficacy and cancer patient survival rates have greatly improved, but unfortunately gonadal damage remains a major complication. Gonadotoxic chemotherapy, including alkylating agents during reproductive age, can lead to iatrogenic premature ovarian insufficiency (POI), and loss of fertility. In recent years, the demand for fertility preservation has increased dramatically among female cancer patients. Currently, embryo and oocyte cryopreservation are the only established options for fertility preservation in women. However, there is growing evidence for other experimental techniques including ovarian tissue cryopreservation, oocyte in vitro maturation, artificial ovaries, stem cell technologies, and ovarian suppression. To prevent fertility loss in women with cancer, individualized fertility preservation options including established and experimental techniques that take into consideration the patient's age, marital status, chemotherapy regimen, and the possibility of treatment delay should be provided. In addition, effective multidisciplinary oncofertility strategies that involve a highly skilled and experienced oncofertility team consisting of medical oncologists, gynecologists, reproductive biologists, surgical oncologists, patient care coordinators, and research scientists are necessary to provide cancer patients with high-quality care.

Recessive Mutations in ACPT, Encoding Testicular Acid Phosphatase, Cause Hypoplastic Amelogenesis Imperfecta.

Amelogenesis imperfecta (AI) is a heterogeneous group of genetic disorders affecting tooth enamel. The affected enamel can be hypoplastic and/or hypomineralized. In this study, we identified ACPT (testicular acid phosphatase) biallelic mutations causing non-syndromic, generalized hypoplastic autosomal-recessive amelogenesis imperfecta (AI) in individuals from six apparently unrelated Turkish families. Families 1, 4, and 5 were affected by the homozygous ACPT mutation c.713C>T (p.Ser238Leu), family 2 by the homozygous ACPT mutation c.331C>T (p.Arg111Cys), family 3 by the homozygous ACPT mutation c.226C>T (p.Arg76Cys), and family 6 by the compound heterozygous ACPT mutations c.382G>C (p.Ala128Pro) and 397G>A (p.Glu133Lys). Analysis of the ACPT crystal structure suggests that these mutations damaged the activity of ACPT by altering the sizes and charges of key amino acid side chains, limiting accessibility of the catalytic core, and interfering with homodimerization. Immunohistochemical analysis confirmed localization of ACPT in secretory-stage ameloblasts. The study results provide evidence for the crucial function of ACPT during amelogenesis.

Assessment of patient-reported outcomes (PROs): treatment satisfaction, medication adherence, and quality of life (QoL) and the associated factors in postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO) patients in Korea.

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) provide practical guides for treatment; however, studies that have evaluated PROs of women in Korea with postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO) are lacking. This cross-sectional, multi-center (29 nationwide hospitals) study, performed from March 2013 to July 2014, aimed to assess PROs related to treatment satisfaction, medication adherence, and quality of life (QoL) in Korean PMO women using osteoporosis medication for prevention/treatment. Patient demographics, clinical characteristics, treatment patterns, PROs, and experience using medication were collected. The 14-item Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication (TSQM) (score-range, 0-100; domains: effectiveness, side effects, convenience, global satisfaction), Osteoporosis-Specific Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (OS-MMAS) (score-range, 0-8), and EuroQol-5 dimensions questionnaire (index score range, - 0.22 to 1.0; EuroQol visual analog scale score range, 0-100) were used. To investigate factors associated with PROs, linear (treatment satisfaction/QoL) or logistic (medication adherence) regression analyses were conducted. A total of 1804 patients (age, 62 years) were investigated; 60.1% used bisphosphonate, with the majority (67.2%) using weekly medication, 27.8% used daily hormone replacement therapy, and 12.1% used daily selective estrogen receptor modulator. Several patients reported gastrointestinal (GI) events (31.6%) and dental visits due to problems (24.1%) while using medication. Factors associated with the highest OS-MMAS domain scores were convenience and global satisfaction. GI events were associated with non-adherence. TSQM scores for effectiveness, side effects, and GI risk factors were significantly associated with QoL. Our study elaborately assessed the factors associated with PROs of Korean PMO women. Based on our findings, appropriate treatment-related adjustments such as frequency/choice of medications and GI risk management may improve PROs.

Comparative efficacy and safety of intravenous ferric carboxymaltose and iron sucrose for the treatment of preoperative anemia in patients with menorrhagia: An open-label, multicenter, randomized study.

AIM: To compare ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) with iron sucrose (IS) for the effective and timely treatment of preoperative iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in women with menorrhagia. METHODS: This open-label, multicenter, two-arm study randomized patients to receive either a single dose of FCM or multiple doses of IS. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients who achieved hemoglobin (Hb) levels ≥10 g/dL within 2 weeks after the first administration. Secondary endpoints included mean Hb levels, time to reach Hb ≥10 g/dL and quality of life (QoL). RESULTS: In total, 101 patients (FCM n = 52; IS n = 49) were randomized to the study treatments. FCM was as effective as IS in achieving Hb ≥10 g/dL within 2 weeks after the first administration (78.8% vs 72.3%). The time to reach Hb ≥10 g/dL was significantly shorter in the FCM group than in the IS group (7.7 days vs 10.5 days). Mean Hb levels were higher in the FCM-treated patients than in the IS-treated patients with borderline significance. QoL scores did not differ between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Ferric carboxymaltose is as effective as IS in correcting preoperative IDA among patients with menorrhagia. The added benefits of FCM over IS included significant rapid correction of IDA, replenishment of iron stores and reduced hospital visits.

Comparison between Slow Freezing and Vitrification for Human Ovarian Tissue Cryopreservation and Xenotransplantation.

Two methods for the cryopreservation of human ovarian tissue were compared using a xenotransplantation model to establish a safe and effective cryopreservation method. Ovarian tissues were obtained from women who underwent benign ovarian surgery in the gynecology research unit of a university hospital. The tissues were transplanted into 112 ovariectomized female severe combined immunodeficient mice 4 weeks after slow freezing or vitrification cryopreservation. Tissues were retrieved 4 weeks later. Primordial follicular counts decreased after cryopreservation and xenotransplantation, and were significantly higher in the slow freezing group than in the vitrification group (p < 0.001). Immunohistochemistry and TUNEL assay showed that the Ki-67 and CD31 markers of follicular proliferation and angiogenesis were higher in the slow freezing group (p < 0.001 and p = 0.006, respectively) and DNA damage was greater in the vitrification group (p < 0.001). Western blotting showed that vitrification increased cellular apoptosis. Anti-Müllerian hormone expression was low in transplanted samples subjected to both cryopreservation techniques. Electron microscopy revealed primordial follicle deformation in the vitrification group. Slow freezing for ovarian tissue cryopreservation is superior to vitrification in terms of follicle survival and growth after xenotransplantation. These results will be useful for fertility preservation in female cancer patients.

Differential relationship between waist circumference and mortality according to age, sex, and body mass index in Korean with age of 30-90 years; a nationwide health insurance database study.

BACKGROUND: A recent concept is that obesity, assessed by body mass index (BMI), is not always a sign of poor health. Thus, in order to use obesity metrics in clinical decision making, it is important to clarify the relationship between waist circumference (WC), a proxy for abdominal obesity, and mortality. METHODS: Data were used from 8,796,759 subjects aged between 30 and 90 years, who had participated in the Korea National Health Screening Examination between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009 and survived at least 1 year post screening. Data from a mean follow-up time of an additional 5.3 years (time at risk) were analyzed for the relationship between WC and mortality according to age, sex, and BMI category. RESULTS: An increased WC of more than 90 cm in men and 85 cm in women showed a definite negative influence on mortality. However, the detailed relationship between WC and mortality was J-shaped or U-shaped according to age, sex, and BMI category. In the normal BMI group, the optimal WC range with the lowest mortality was < 70 cm in men and 70-75 cm in women, whereas in obese individuals a WC between 80 and 90 cm in men and 75 and 85 cm in women showed the lowest mortality. The association between increased WC and higher mortality tended to be more obvious in normal-weight women than in normal-weight men or obese women. Furthermore, in normal-weight and obese women, the effect of increased WC on mortality was more critical for subjects aged < 60 years rather than those aged ≥ 60 years. CONCLUSIONS: Abdominal obesity, as measured by WC, showed a significant negative association on mortality, and its association with mortality was different according to age, sex, and BMI category. Therefore, WC should be considered in the assessment of obesity-related health risks, and individualized cut-off points for the definition of a healthy WC according to age, sex, and BMI category are necessary.