Background & aims: We investigated the predictors of overall survival (OS) among Korean patients with advanced pancreatic cancer (PC) according to their baseline nutritional status. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the data of 412 inpatients with PC between January 2007 and February 2015 at the Department of Oncology of the Gangnam Severance Hospital, Korea. Data on demographic and clinical parameters were collected from electronic medical records, and OS was estimated using the KaplaneMeier method. Stepwise Cox regression analysis was used to determine the factors associated with survival. Patients with a Nutritional Risk Screening (NRS) 2002 score <3 were classified as "no-risk; " those with a score of 3 were classified as "moderate-risk; " and those with a score of 4 were classified as "high-risk." Results: Following nutritional screening at baseline, 194 patients (47.1%, mean age 61.8 ± 9.9 years) were classified as the "no risk" group; 81 patients (19.7%, mean age 65.4 ± 10.8 years), as the "moderate risk" group; and 137 patients (33.3%, mean age 67.8 ± 12.0 years), as the "high risk" group. Predictors of survival were NRS 2002 score (hazard ratio [HR] ¼ 1.238; 95% confidence interval [CI] ¼ 1.143e1.341), percentage of lymphocytes (HR ¼ 0.973; 95% CI ¼ 0.962e0.984), C-reactive protein level (HR ¼ 1.003; 95% CI ¼ 1.001e1.006), carcinoembryonic antigen level (HR ¼ 1.000; 95% CI ¼ 1.000e1.000), and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 level (HR ¼ 1.000; 95% CI ¼ 1.000e1.000). KaplaneMeier survival analysis showed significant differences in the median OS among the NRS 2002 groups: "no risk" group: 12.3 ± 0.4 months (95% CI: 11.47e13.13 months); "moderate risk" group: 6.5 ± 0.9 months (95% CI: 4.78e8.17 months); and "high risk" group: 5.5 ± 0.6 months (95% CI: 4.31e6.69 months). Conclusions: A good baseline nutritional status was associated with OS among Korean patients with advanced PC. An improvement in the nutritional status of patients with advanced PC through baseline nutritional interventions is therefore necessary to prolong OS.

Nitrate is an important nutrient and signaling molecule in plants that modulates the expression of many genes and regulates plant growth. In this study, we cover the research status of transcription factors related to the control of gene expression by nitrate signaling in higher plants. Nitrate reductase is a key enzyme in nitrogen assimilation, as it catalyzes the nitrate-to-nitrite reduction process in plants. A variety of factors, including nitrate, light, metabolites, phytohormones, low temperature, and drought, modulate the expression levels of nitrate reductase genes and nitrate reductase activity, which is consistent with the physiological role if. Recently, several transcription factors controlling the expression of nitrate reductase genes have been identified in higher plants. NODULE-INCEPTION-Like Proteins (NLPs) are transcription factors responsible for the nitrate-inducible expression of nitrate reductase genes. Since NLPs also control the nitrate-inducible expression of genes encoding the nitrate transporter, nitrite transporter, and nitrite reductase, the expression levels of nitrate reduction pathway-associated genes are coordinately modulated by NLPs in response to nitrate. Understanding the function of nitrate in plants will be useful to create crops with low nitrogen use.

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PLLAⅠ, PLLAⅡ, PLGA, and PDO are absorbable sutures that are degraded by enzyme hydrolysis in comparison with nonabsorbable sutures. The suture was prepared self-production by extruder. Weight loss of the samples, pH change, and the tensile strength were measured. As a result, it was confirmed that slow degradation of the PLLAⅠ,Ⅱ and PLGA. In addition, the tensile strength of PLLA held longest. In other words, it is suitable for sealing a lengthy healing period.