Publications by authors named "Eric Kim"

Objective: Accurately measuring the cost of a clinical process is critical to identifying ways to increase the value of a healthcare process. The objective of this study was to review time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) in otolaryngology and to illustrate areas where value may be increased.

Data Sources: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, CINAHL Complete, and Business Source Complete from database inception to August 2024.

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Background: Limited data exists regarding the safety of the COVID-19 2023-2024 vaccine formulations and whether the safety profiles differ from the original formulations. We evaluated the association between the BNT162b2 XBB COVID-19 vaccine and the risk of 20 pre-specified adverse events of special interest (AESIs).

Methods: We identified commercially-insured individuals in the US age ≥ 6 months who received the BNT162b2 XBB COVID-19 vaccine between September 11, 2023 and January 15, 2024 within the Optum pre-adjudicated database.

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Purpose: This study investigates the relationship between surgical levels and coronal deformity to identify risk factors for failing to achieve a minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) following short-segment isolated decompression or fusion surgery in patients with degenerative scoliosis (DS) and concurrent lumbar canal stenosis (LCS), without severe sagittal deformity malalignment.

Methods: Patients with degenerative scoliosis who underwent 1- or 2-level lumbar isolated decompression or fusion surgery were included. Surgical level was labeled as "Cobb-related" when decompression or surgical levels spanned or were between end vertebrae, and "outside" when the operative levels did not include the end vertebrae.

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Accumulating studies have documented strong associations between a higher sense of control and improved health and well-being outcomes. However, less is known about the determinants of increased sense of control. Our analysis used data from 13,771 older adults in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS)-a diverse, longitudinal, and national study of adults aged >50 in the United States.

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Ensuring reliability of Large Language Models (LLMs) in clinical tasks is crucial. Our study assesses two state-of-the-art LLMs (ChatGPT and LlaMA-2) for extracting clinical information, focusing on cognitive tests like MMSE and CDR. Our data consisted of 135,307 clinical notes (Jan 12th, 2010 to May 24th, 2023) mentioning MMSE, CDR, or MoCA.

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Objective: To assess the correlation between high-resolution microultrasound (microUS) and multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MP-MRI) in clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa) lesion identification.

Methods: We reviewed our prospectively maintained database of 267 consecutive patients who underwent MP-MRI and transperineal microUS-guided biopsy between February 2021 and April 2023. The Prostate Risk Identification using MicroUS (PRI-MUS) protocol was utilized to risk stratify prostate lesions, with PRI-MUS 3-5 defined as positive.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study was a retrospective cohort review comparing single level (SLD) and dual level (DLD) minimally invasive decompression surgeries for lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) in patients with adjacent level disease.
  • Findings indicated that patients undergoing single level decompression experienced similar clinical outcomes to those with dual level decompression over a 2-year period, despite longer operative times for DLD procedures.
  • The conclusion suggests that for patients with single level symptoms and adjacent stenosis, treating only the symptomatic level is equally effective, potentially reducing unnecessary risks and surgery time associated with dual level procedures.
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Objective: We reviewed our institutional experience of radical prostatectomy with and without preoperative multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) to assess the impact of preoperative prostate mpMRI on surgical outcomes of radical prostatectomy.

Methods: We identified patients at our institution who underwent radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer (PCa) between January 2012 and December 2017 ( = 1044). Using propensity scoring analysis, patients who underwent preoperative mpMRI ( = 285) were matched 1:1 to patients who did not receive preoperative mpMRI ( = 285).

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Article Synopsis
  • Enfortumab vedotin is an antibody-drug conjugate that has shown to improve overall survival in patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma compared to standard chemotherapy, leading to its global approval.
  • The EV-203 study is a phase 2 trial that evaluated the drug's effectiveness and safety in 40 Chinese patients with previously treated advanced disease.
  • Results showed a 37.5% objective response rate, a 72.5% disease control rate, and median progression-free survival of 4.7 months, with no new safety concerns reported.
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Background: The US faces a maternal health crisis and struggles to deliver recommended postpartum care. In some populations, less than half of mothers attend a postpartum visit.

Objective: To determine if a two-generation (Two-Gen) model of interdisciplinary, postpartum primary care was associated with increased visit attendance for postpartum care, primary care, and behavioral health.

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Study Design: This retrospective study included patients who underwent primary one-level minimally invasive (MIS) transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) for degenerative lumbar spine conditions.

Objective: To identify early predictors of failing to achieve the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) minimum clinically important difference (MCID) one-year post-surgery.

Summary Of Background Data: Early identification of patients at risk of failing to achieve ODI-MCID is crucial for early intervention and improved postoperative counseling.

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To study the spatial interactions among cancer and non-cancer cells, we here examined a cohort of 131 tumour sections from 78 cases across 6 cancer types by Visium spatial transcriptomics (ST). This was combined with 48 matched single-nucleus RNA sequencing samples and 22 matched co-detection by indexing (CODEX) samples. To describe tumour structures and habitats, we defined 'tumour microregions' as spatially distinct cancer cell clusters separated by stromal components.

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Prostate cancer (PCa) is a heterogeneous disease with a spectrum of pathology and outcomes ranging from indolent to lethal. Although there have been recent advancements in prognostic tissue biomarkers, limitations still exist. We leveraged Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization (MALDI) imaging of formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded (FFPE) prostate cancer specimens to determine if N-linked glycans expressed in the extracellular matrix of lethal neuroendocrine prostate cancer were also expressed in conventional prostate adenocarcinomas that were associated with poor outcomes.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Financial hardship significantly affects Black prostate cancer survivors, who face both direct costs (like out-of-pocket expenses) and indirect costs (such as lost wages and time spent on care) that complicate their treatment decisions.
  • - The study gathered insights from 11 prostate cancer survivors and 11 caregivers through interviews, focusing on how financial factors intersect with material, behavioral, and psychosocial aspects of their lives.
  • - Participants highlighted the burden of treatment costs on their household budgets and emphasized the need for better support in understanding and managing these financial challenges during their treatment journey.
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Study Background And Aims: There are marked barriers to research and publishing for low- and middle- income country (LMIC) ENT researchers. This could be reflected in LMIC journal characteristics and research, which has never been investigated. We aim to characterize differences in the number, geographic distribution, publishing costs, reach, number of articles, citations, and impact factors of high-income country (HIC) journals compared to LMIC journals.

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In the present study, we examined the prospective associations of both spousal support and spousal strain with a wide range of health and well-being outcomes in married older adults. Applying the analytic template for outcome-wide designs, three waves of longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study (n = 7788, M = 64.2 years) were analyzed using linear regression, logistic regression, and generalized linear models.

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The anatomy of the extraocular rectus muscle insertions is clinically relevant in the field of ophthalmology. This descriptive cadaveric study determines the relative degree orientation of the superior, lateral, and inferior rectus muscles with respect to the medial rectus and investigates the distances between the rectus muscle insertions. Thirty cadavers (50% female, mean age = 81.

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  • The study investigates how positive emotions affect physical activity over a 25-year period, using data from 3,352 participants.
  • Traditional and marginal structural models were employed to analyze the relationship, accounting for possible reverse causation.
  • Results indicate that while there was no immediate link between positive affect and physical activity, higher positive affect was associated with a slower decline in activity levels over time, suggesting that enhancing positive emotions could help maintain physical activity in midlife.
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Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the correlation between patient-perceived changes in health and commonly utilized patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in lumbar spine surgery.

Methods: This was a retrospective review of prospectively collected data on consecutive patients who underwent lumbar microdiscectomy, lumbar decompression, or lumbar fusion at a single academic institution from 2017 to 2023. Correlation between the global rating of change (GRC) questionnaire, a 5-item Likert scale (much better, slightly better, about the same, slightly worse, and much worse), and PROMs (Oswestry Disability Index, visual analog scale for back and leg pain, 12-Item Short Form Health Survey Physical Component Summary and Mental Component Summary, and PROMIS physical function) was assessed using Spearman's rank correlation coefficients.

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Article Synopsis
  • NTRK gene fusions occur in about 1% of gliomas and are considered promising targets for treatment due to their ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, leading to interest in TRK inhibitors.
  • A study of 12 NGS-verified NTRK-fused gliomas at Seoul National University Hospital found that DLGGs mostly had only NTRK fusions, while DHGGs often had additional genetic mutations, with various fusion partners identified for NTRK1 and NTRK2.
  • Treatment outcomes using TRK inhibitors varied significantly; one child with DLGG showed stable disease, while a child with DHGG and an adult with glioblastoma experienced tumor recurrence and progression, highlighting the mixed
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Does higher perceived neighborhood social cohesion in adolescence lead to better health and well-being 10-12 years later? We evaluated this question using data from a large, prospective, and nationally representative sample of US adolescents (Add Health; N = 10,963), and an outcome-wide approach. Across 38 outcomes, perceived neighborhood social cohesion was associated with some: mental health outcomes (i.e.

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