Trends in the incidence of and survival rates for oral cavity cancer in the Korean population

OBJECTIVE

This study assessed trends in the incidence of and survival rates for oral cavity cancer in the Korean population.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Data from the Korea Central Cancer Registry were extracted for 10,282 patients diagnosed with oral cavity cancer (C01-C06) between 1999 and 2010 to evaluate the age-standardised incidence rate, annual percentage change (APC) and 5-year relative survival rate (RSR) according to gender and age.

RESULTS

In males, the incidence rate slightly decreased [APC of -0.2% (P = 0.6427)]; in females, the incidence rate increased [APC of 3.1% (P < 0.05)]. In males and females, the incidence of oral tongue cancer (C02) significantly increased [APC of 2.2% and 4.1%, respectively (P < 0.05)]. This increase in oral tongue cancer incidence was most prominent in the younger age group (<40 years, APC = 6.1%, P < 0.05). The incidence of buccal cheek cancer increased only among males [APC of 4.8% (P < 0.05)]. The 5-year RSR improved from 42.7% (1993-1995) to 59.5% (2006-2010), corresponding to an increase of 16.8% from 1993 to 2010 (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The incidence of oral cavity cancer in females increased, whereas it stabilised or decreased in males. However, the incidence of oral tongue cancer increased in both males and females, especially in the younger age group.

Clinical association between serum γ-glutamyltransferase levels and the development of insulin resistance in Korean men: a 5-year follow-up study

AIMS

In recent years, γ-glutamyltransferase has emerged as a predictor of cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes mellitus, the metabolic syndrome and hypertension. However, it is not yet certain whether γ-glutamyltransferase is a predictor for insulin resistance. The aim of this study was to examine the longitudinal association between baseline γ-glutamyltransferase level and the development of insulin resistance in Korean men.

METHODS

We performed a prospective cohort study, involving 22 931 healthy Korean men without baseline insulin resistance (homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, HOMA-IR < 2.7) for 5 years. We checked the HOMA-IR serially to monitor the development of insulin resistance (incidence of HOMA-IR ≥ 2.7). A Cox proportional hazards model was used to determine hazard ratios for insulin resistance by quartile groups of baseline serum γ-glutamyltransferase levels.

RESULTS

During 81 208.6 person-years of follow-up, 3856 (16.8%) cases of insulin resistance developed between 2006 and 2010. After adjusting for multiple covariates, including baseline HOMA-IR, the hazard ratios (95% CI) for incident insulin resistance comparing the second to the fourth quartile of baseline serum γ-glutamyltransferase levels with the first quartile were 1.19 (1.06-1.33), 1.38 (1.23-1.53) and 1.58 (1.41-1.77), respectively (P for trend < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings show that serum γ-glutamyltransferase level could be a predictor of the development of insulin resistance in Korean men.

OPTICAL SENSING PROPERTIES OF WO3 NANOSTRUCTURED THIN FILMS ON SAPPHIRE SUBSTRATE TOWARD HYDROGEN

Many studies have identified tungsten trioxide (WO3) as a promising candidate for optical gas sensing applications. WO3 , coated with thin catalytic metals such as Pd , was reported to show a color change from transparent to dark blue upon exposure to oxidizing gas such as hydrogen (H2). Reliable hydrogen sensor is widely used in medical and energy application area. In this work, WO3 nanostructured thin films were deposited onto sapphire substrates via pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique by using ArF Excimer laser operating at very short wavelength of 193 nm, the shortest wavelength used in the fabrication of semiconductor oxide thin films. By ablating the target oxides by high energy photons, we could fabricate good crystalline nanostructure thin films. Electron microscopy studies revealed that the uniform and homogeneous WO3 nanostructured films consist of nanorods of about 50 nm sizes. XRD and Raman studies verified good crystalline formation. Absorbance response toward H2 gas was investigated for a WO3 film coated with 25 Å thick palladium (Pd). The Pd/WO3 nanostructured thin films exhibited excellent gasochromic response toward H2 when measured in the visible-NIR range at 100°C. As low as 0.06% H2 concentration was clearly sensed. The larger dynamic response was measured at NIR wavelength of 900 nm as compared to the response at visible wavelength of 500 nm. The dynamic response of the films observed in the range of 500–800 nm showed more significant response toward H2 with low concentrations (0.06%–1%) than the one at single wavelength. As a result, H2 with very low concentration was able to be sensed reliably in real time. The response and recovery times were found to be < 2 min. The results indicated that the Pd/WO3 nanorod films on sapphire substrates responded to very low H2 concentration (0.06%) which is well below its lower explosive level threshold (4%).

Perfusion of the oesophagus and stomach during hepatic artery chemotherapy via an aberrant gastric artery

Symptoms of pain, dyspepsia and nausea arising during the administration of intrahepatic chemotherapy should be investigated with endoscopy to exclude inadvertent perfusion of the stomach.