Does wearing facial masks increase perceived facial attractiveness? An eye-tracking experiment.

As wearing a mask has become a routine of daily life since COVID-19, there is a growing need for psycho-physiological research to examine whether and how mask-fishing effects can occur and operate. Building upon a notion that people are likely to utilize information available from the facial areas uncovered by a mask to form the first impression about others, we posit a curvilinear relationship between the amount of the facial areas covered by a mask and the perception of others' attractiveness such that the attractiveness perception increases initially and then decreases as more facial areas are covered by a mask. To better examine this covering effect, we conduct an experiment using an eye-tracker and also administer a follow-up survey on the facial attractiveness of target persons. Our results showed that the facial attractiveness of target persons increased as the areas covered by a mask increased as in the moderate covering condition where the target persons wore only a facial mask, demonstrating that the mask-fishing was indeed possible thanks to the covering effect of a mask on the facial attractiveness. The experimental results, however, revealed that the mask-fishing effect disappeared as the areas covered increased further as in the excessive covering condition where the target persons' face and forehead were covered with a mask and a bucket hat. More importantly, the eye-tracking data analysis demonstrated that both the number of gaze fixation and revisits per unit area were significantly lower in the moderate covering than in the excessive covering condition, suggesting that participants in the moderate covering were able to form the impression about the target persons using cues available from the eyes and forehead areas such as hairstyle and eye color whereas those in the excessive covering were provided only a limited set of cues concentrated in the eyes area. As a result, the covering effect no longer existed under the excessive covering. Furthermore, our results showed that participants in the moderate covering were more likely than those in the excessive condition to exhibit the higher level of curiosity and perception of beautifulness but perceived the lower level of coldness when evaluating the target persons. The current research offers theoretical contributions and practical implications made from the eye-tracking experiment and discusses possible avenues for further research.

Current status in the management of uterine corpus cancer in Korea.

Uterine corpus cancer has increased in prevalence in Korean women over the last decade. Recently, elegant studies have been reported from many institutes. To improve treatment strategies, a review of our own data is warranted. This work will discuss the risks and prognostic factors for uterine corpus cancer, and the radiologic evaluation, prediction of lymph node metastasis, systematic lymphadenectomy, minimally invasive surgery, ovarian-saving surgery, fertility-sparing treatment, and adjuvant treatment in women with uterine cancer.

Role of systematic lymphadenectomy and adjuvant radiation in early-stage endometrioid uterine cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the roles of lymphadenectomy in endometrioid uterine cancer patients and adjuvant radiation in early-stage endometrioid uterine cancer patients who underwent systematic lymphadenectomy. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 758 patients surgically treated for early-stage endometrioid uterine cancer from 2000 to 2006 was conducted. The primary outcome was 5-year overall survival in relation to systematic lymphadenectomy with or without adjuvant radiation. RESULTS: Of the 758 patients, 547 (72.2%) underwent complete surgical staging, including systematic lymphadenectomy; adjuvant radiation was administered to 207 patients (27.3%). Within median follow-up of 35 months, systematic lymphadenectomy did not affect overall survival in early-stage patients (P = 0.4480). In the high-risk, early-stage group, however, the 5-year survival rate of the systematic lymphadenectomy group showed better survival compared with the no systematic lymphadenectomy group (P = 0.0095). Also, adjuvant radiation did not affect overall survival in early-stage patients (P = 0.1170), even in the group of high-risk, early-stage patients (P = 0.5680) who underwent systematic lymphadenectomy. CONCLUSIONS: Systematic lymphadenectomy provided a survival benefit in high-risk endometrioid uterine cancer patients. However, in patients who underwent systematic lymphadenectomy, adjuvant radiation was not beneficial, even in high-risk patients.

Role of body mass index as a risk and prognostic factor of endometrioid uterine cancer in Korean women.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the role of body mass index (BMI) as a risk and prognostic factor of endometrioid uterine cancer in Korean women. METHODS: The records of 937 patients with endometrioid uterine cancer treated between 2000 and 2006 in Korea were reviewed. To determine the disease risk by BMI, four age-matched controls were recruited from healthy women (1-year age group). RESULTS: The obese (BMI > or =25 kg/m(2)) and overweight (23 kg/m(2)< or = BMI <25 kg/m(2)) women had an increased risk for endometrioid uterine cancer (OR=3.161, 95% CI=2.655-3.763 and OR=1.536, 95% CI=1.260-1.873, respectively) compared to the non-obese (BMI <23 kg/m(2)) women. That is, an increment of 1 kg/m(2) caused an 18% increase in the endometrioid uterine cancer risk (OR=1.181, 95% CI=1.155-1.207). However, there was no difference in overall survival according to the BMI-based subgroups (log-rank=0.366, p=0.8328). The crude Cox model showed that obesity was not associated with the patients' overall survival when the obese and non-obese women were compared (crude HR=0.82, 95% CI=0.40-1.66). Furthermore, there was a significant trend toward a better prognosis at increased increments of BMI (p for trend<0.001), but this was not found in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: A high BMI was a significant risk factor for endometrioid uterine cancer in an Asian population. However, it was not associated with overall survival, in spite of the earlier tumor stage of the obese women.

High-risk human papillomavirus testing for monitoring patients treated for high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.

AIM: The aim of the present study was to examine the accuracy of high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) DNA detection as a predictor of residual or recurrent cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) after treatment of high-grade CIN. METHODS: Ninety-five women treated by conization and loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) for high-grade CIN were followed-up with HR-HPV DNA testing (Hybrid Capture II test, Digene Diagnostics, Gaithersburg, MD, USA) and cytology at 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months after treatment. The outcome of our study was to detect the presence of CIN using colposcopy-directed biopsy within 24 months after treatment. RESULTS: Women with recurrent or residual disease did not differ from women who were cured within clinicopathologic parameters at treatment. Pre-treatment HR-HPV testing was positive in all cases. In the recurrent pre-treatment group HR-HPV loads were significantly higher than in the group with no recurrence (1065.5 +/- 852.3 vs 527.7 +/- 669.6, P = 0.003). Residual or recurrent disease was identified in 17 patients (17.9%) during a 24-month period. A Pap smear significantly predicted disease recurrence at the first follow-up visit only. At the 6-month visit, HR-HPV testing showed 100% sensitivity and negative predictive value (NPV). When both a Pap smear and a HR-HPV test were used together, 82% sensitivity, 76% specificity and 95% NPV was noted. Performance of resection margins (odds ratio (OR) 9.8; 95% confidence interval (CI), 3.0-32.7) and post-treatment HR-HPV load >100 RLU (OR 9.3; 95% CI, 2.2-38.2) were also significant. CONCLUSION: HR-HPV testing in conjunction with Pap smear offers clear advantages over single cytology when monitoring women treated for high-grade CIN.

Human papillomavirus 16 and 18 L1 serology in Korean women with high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical cancer.

We aimed to determine the prevalence of HPV-16/18 antibodies in Korean women with high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and cervical cancer. We conducted the hospital-based case-control study at the university hospital between 2003 and 2006. Cases were 130 high-grade CIN and 43 cervical cancer patients and the control group was 106 women showing normal cervical cytology. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were performed for HPV-16/18 L1 virus-like particles (VLPs) as an antigen. Seropositivity for HPV-16 VLP and HPV-18 VLP was found in 67.4% and 30.2% of cancer patients and 59.2% and 20.0% of high-grade CIN patients, respectively. Seropositivity for HPV-16 with high-grade CIN (OR 6.91; 95% CI 3.74-12.76) and cervical cancer (OR 8.99; 95% CI 3.88-20.84) presented significant associations, as did seropositivity for HPV-18 (high-grade CIN: OR 3.64; 95% CI 1.67-7.95, cervical cancer: OR 6.82; 95% CI 2.52-18.45). Patients with both HPV-16 and 18 seropositivity were 9.38 times (95% CI 2.98-29.51) more likely to have high-grade CIN and 17.05 times (95% CI 4.55-63.87) more likely to have cancer. Both HPV 16 and 18 L1 VLP serology is the clear disease predictors of presence of high-grade CIN and cervical cancer.

Serologic response to human papillomavirus type 16 virus-like particles in Korean women with cervical precancerous and cancerous lesions.

The aim of the study was to investigate the seroprevalence to HPV type 16 in Korean women with precancerous and cancerous lesions of the uterine cervix. The cases were 173 Korean women of whom 130 had high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasias (CIN), 43 cervical carcinomas and the control group was 106 women showing normal cervical cytology. Serologic assays were performed using HPV-16 VLPs as antigen in an ELISA. Specific antibodies against HPV-16 VLP were detected in 59.2% (77/130) of the patients with high-grade CIN, in 67.4% (29/43) of the patients with cervical cancer and in 20.8% (22/106) of control subjects. No difference of serologic response was found between high-grade CIN and cancer. HPV-16 seropositivity showed the significant association with patients' age and preoperative HPV DNA infection. Recurrence of high-grade CIN was not affected by the VLP-16 seropositivity. Recurrence of carcinoma showed the borderline association with HPV-16 seropositivity (P=0.06). The association between the cancer recurrence and seropositivity was not found in the logistic regression analysis. Two patients dying of cancer during the follow-up period were both seronegative (P=0.01). In conclusion, serologic testing for HPV-16 VLP antibody provides a disease indicator of cervical lesions and potential prognostic parameter of cervical carcinoma.

Plasma carotenoids, retinol and tocopherol levels and the risk of ovarian cancer.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the relation between plasma carotenoids, retinol and tocopherol levels and ovarian cancer risk in Korean women. DESIGN: Hospital-based case-control study. SETTING: Six tertiary medical institutes in Korea. POPULATION: Forty-five epithelial ovarian cancers and 135 age-matched controls. METHODS: Preoperative plasma concentrations of beta-carotene, lycopene, zeaxanthin plus lutein, retinol, alpha-tocopherol, and gamma-tocopherol were measured by reverse-phase, gradient high-pressure liquid chromatography. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were estimated by tertiles to evaluate the effect of micronutrients on endometrial cancer risk after adjustment for body mass (BMI) index, menopause, parity, oral contraceptive use, smoking status, and alcohol consumption status. RESULTS: Women in the highest tertile for beta-carotene had 0.12-times the risk of ovarian cancer of in the lowest tertile (OR 0.12; 95%CI 0.04-0.36). Women with the highest tertiles of lycopene (OR 0.09; 95%CI 0.03-0.32), zeaxanthin/lutein (OR 0.21; 95%CI 0.09-0.52), retinol (OR 0.45; 95%CI 0.21-0.98), alpha-tocopherol (OR 0.23; 95%CI 0.10-0.53) and gamma-tocopherol (OR 0.28; 95%CI 0.11-0.70) had lower risk of ovarian cancer than women in the lowest tertiles. Results were consistent across strata of socio-epidemiologic factors. CONCLUSIONS: Micronutrients, specifically ss-carotene, lycopene, zeaxanthin, lutein, retinol, alpha-tocopherol, and gamma-tocopherol, may play a role in reducing the risk of ovarian cancer.

Serum levels of YKL-40 and interleukin-18 and their relationship to disease severity in patients with preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia is a disease associated with the maternal inflammatory response. YKL-40 and interleukin-18 (IL-18) are inflammatory markers involved in inflammatory states and vascular processes. The aim of this study was to evaluate serum levels of YKL-40 and IL-18 in preeclampsia. Twenty-four patients with preeclampsia and 13 healthy pregnant women were included in this study. Serum levels of YKL-40 and IL-18 were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Serum YKL-40 levels were significantly higher in patients with preeclampsia (median 75.0 ng/mL; range 45.8-125.4 ng/mL) than in normal pregnant women (median 29.3 ng/mL; range 16.2-39.5 ng/mL; p=0.000). Serum IL-18 levels were also significantly higher in patients with preeclampsia (median 159.9 pg/mL; range 125.6-193.5 pg/mL) than in normal pregnant women (median 120.2 pg/mL; range 102.2-157.9 pg/mL; p=0.018). Notably, higher serum YKL-40 levels were observed in patients with more severe proteinuria (>or=3+ by dipstick) than in patients with milder proteinuria (

Preoperative levels of plasma micronutrients are related to endometrial cancer risk.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relation between the plasma concentration of antioxidant micronutrients and endometrial cancer risk in Korean women. DESIGN: Hospital-based case-control study. SETTING: Seven tertiary medical institutes in Korea. POPULATION: Incidence of 28 endometrial cancer cases were identified and 140 age-matched controls selected for the same period. METHODS: Preoperative plasma concentrations of beta-carotene, lycopene, zeaxanthin plus lutein, retinol, alpha-tocopherol, and gamma-tocopherol were measured by reverse-phase, gradient high-pressure liquid chromatography. Conditional logistic regression was used to evaluate micronutrient effect after adjustment for body mass index (BMI), menopause, parity, oral contraceptive use, smoking status, and alcohol consumption status. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Effect of micronutrients on endometrial cancer risk. RESULTS: The mean concentration of plasma beta-carotene (p=0.001), lycopene (p=0.008), zeaxanthin plus lutein (p=0.031), retinol (p=0.048), and gamma-tocopherol (p=0.046) were significantly lower in endometrial cancer patients than in controls. Plasma levels of beta-carotene (p for trend=0.0007) and lycopene (p for trend=0.007) were inversely associated with endometrial cancer risk across tertiles. Women in the highest tertile of plasma beta-carotene and lycopene had a 0.12-fold (95% confidence intervals (CIs) 0.03-0.48) and 0.15-fold (95% CIs 0.04-0.61) decreased risk of endometrial cancer compared to women in the lowest tertile, respectively. Other micronutrients such as zeaxanthin plus lutein (p for trend=0.142), retinol (p for trend=0.108), alpha-tocopherol (p for trend=0.322), and gamma-tocopherol (p for trend=0.087) showed no association with endometrial cancer risk. CONCLUSIONS: Plasma levels of beta-carotene and lycopene are inversely associated with the risk of endometrial cancer in Korean women.