Characteristics and outcomes of portal vein thrombosis in patients with inflammatory bowel disease in Korea.

Background/aims: Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) frequently occurs in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), particularly when influenced by factors such as abdominal infections, IBD flare-ups, or surgical procedures. The implications of PVT range from immediate issues such as intestinal ischemia to long-term concerns including portal hypertension and its complications. However, there is a notable gap in comprehensive studies on PVT in IBD, especially with the increasing incidence of IBD in Asia.

Prognostic value of exercise tolerance and exercise-induced diastolic dysfunction in elderly patients referred for exercise stress echocardiography.

Background: We studied the prognostic value of exercise tolerance and exercise-associated diastolic dysfunction (Ex-DD) in elderly patients referred for exercise stress echocardiography (ExE).

Methods: A total of 674 patients ≥60 years who underwent ExE using the Bruce protocol between January 2017 and December 2020 were included in this study. The prognostic factors examined were exercise tolerance, quantified in metabolic equivalents of tasks (METs), and Ex-DD.

Optimal Diagnostic and Treatment Response Threshold of the Eosinophilic Esophagitis Endoscopic Reference Score: A Single-Center Study of 102 Patients With Eosinophilic Esophagitis.

Background/aims: The proposed eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) endoscopic reference score serves to diagnose and evaluate treatment responses in EoE. Nevertheless, the validated reference score thresholds for diagnosis and treatment response in Asian patients are yet to be established. This study aims to establish these thresholds for the first time among Asian patients with EoE.

Associations between Clinicopathological Characteristics and Intraoperative Opioid Requirements during Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection with Monitored Anesthesia Care: A Retrospective Study.

Endoscopic submucosal dissection is used to treat early gastric neoplasms. Compared with other endoscopic procedures, it requires higher doses of opioids, leading to adverse events during monitored anesthesia care. We investigated the correlations between clinicopathological characteristics and intraprocedural opioid requirements in patients who underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection under monitored anesthesia care.

Safety of Biologics and Small Molecules for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases in Organ Transplant Recipients.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the safety of biologics and small molecules for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) in patients receiving antirejection therapies after organ transplants.

Materials And Methods: We reviewed the medical records of patients with IBD who received organ transplants at the Asan Medical Center between January 1989 and December 2021. We compared the parameters of patients receiving biologics or small molecules to those of patients without those therapies.

Anti-fibrotic and anti-stricture effects of biodegradable biliary stents braided with dexamethasone-impregnated sheath/core structured monofilaments.

Endoscopic biliary stent insertion has been widely used for the treatment of benign biliary stricture (BBS). Thus, the development of stent materials in the perspectives of structure, mechanical properties, and biocompatibility has been also studied. However, conventional metal and plastic stents have several disadvantages, such as repeated procedures to remove or exchange them, dislodgment, restenosis, biocompatibility, and poor mechanical properties.

Trends in colorectal cancer incidence according to an increase in the number of colonoscopy cases in Korea.

Background: The incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) and preinvasive CRC (., early colon cancer and advanced adenoma) is gradually increasing in several countries.

Aim: To evaluate the trend in incidence of CRC and preinvasive CRC according to the increase in the number of colonoscopies performed in Korea.

S6K1 deficiency in tumor stroma impairs lung metastasis of melanoma in mice.

Accumulating data suggest that ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 (S6K1), an effector in the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, plays pleiotropic roles in tumor progression. However, to date, while the tumorigenic function of S6K1 in tumor cells has been well elucidated, its role in the tumor stroma remains poorly understood. We recently showed that S6K1 mediates vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) production in macrophages, thereby supporting tumor angiogenesis and growth.

Outcomes of Primary Esophagectomy and Esophagectomy after Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection for Superficial Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Propensity-Score-Matched Analysis.

Even though the conventional treatment for T1 esophageal cancer is surgery, ESD is becoming the primary treatment. Currently, it is unknown whether secondary esophagectomy after endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is comparable to primary esophagectomy when considering outcomes in patients with T1 esophageal cancer. We compared short- and long-term clinical outcomes between the two groups.

Prognostic significance of incorporating exercise tissue doppler mitral annular early diastolic velocity in exercise diastolic dysfunction assessment.

Background: The existing algorithm for defining exercise-induced diastolic dysfunction incorporates resting e' velocity as a surrogate of myocardial relaxation. The additive prognostic value of incorporating post-exercise e' velocity in definition of exercise-induced diastolic dysfunction is poorly studied.

Aim: To define the additive prognostic value of post-exercise e' septal velocity in the assessment of exercise-induced diastolic dysfunction compared to the traditional approach.

Incidence, Morbidity, and Mortality of Achalasia: A Nationwide, Population-Based Cohort Study in South Korea.

Background/aims: Although an association between achalasia and esophageal cancer has been reported, whether achalasia confers a substantial increase in mortality is unknown. Moreover, the causes of death related to achalasia have not been investigated. We performed this nationwide, population-based cohort study on achalasia because no such study has been performed since the introduction of high-resolution manometry in 2008.

Simulator-based training method in gastrointestinal endoscopy training and currently available simulators.

The apprenticeship-based training method (ABTM) is highly effective for gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopic training. However, the conventional ABTM has significant issues. Although many supplementary training methods (TMs) have been developed and utilized, they cannot entirely replace the ABTM, which remains the major TM strategy.

Reliability of endoscopic ultrasonography and endoscopy in measurement of gastric subepithelial tumor size.

Background: Subepithelial tumor (SET) size is important in determining the treatment plan; however, size estimation for gastric SETs has not been well investigated. We aimed to investigate which method predicts SET size most accurately by retrospectively analyzing surgically removed SETs.

Methods: From January 2015 through June 2020, patients who underwent surgical gastric SET removal at Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea, were enrolled.

Clinical Outcomes of Patients with Benign Peptic Ulcer Bleeding After an Emergency Endoscopy Based on Patient Location.

Background And Aims: In the efforts toward reducing bleeding-related mortality, it is crucial to determine the risk factors for rebleeding after endoscopic hemostasis in benign peptic ulcer (BPU).

Methods: Between 2013 and 2017, the medical records of 864 BPU patients were selected from 5076 who had undergone emergency endoscopy for suspected upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Patients who visited the emergency room or were hospitalized for other illnesses were selected.

High-resolution impedance manometry for comparing bolus transit between patients with non-obstructive dysphagia and asymptomatic controls.

Background: Currently, there are no high-resolution impedance manometry (HRIM)-based diagnostic criteria for non-obstructive dysphagia (NOD). New impedance parameters, such as the esophageal impedance integral (EII) and volume of inverted impedance (VII) ratios, have shown strong correlations with bolus transit. This study compared the EII and VII ratios as diagnostic tools for NOD.

Effect of Reaction Temperature on Properties of Torrefied Kenaf.

Torrefaction is a thermal treatment method used to achieve solid-phase biofuel. Raw biomass generally have low heating value and high moisture content; thus, these characteristics should be enhanced before using it as a fuel. In this study, herbaceous biomass kenaf was torrefied at 220, 260, 300, and 340 °C under nitrogen atmosphere for 30 min to investigate the effect of temperature on its properties.

Tissue Doppler derived biphasic velocities during the pre and post-ejection phases: patterns, concordance and hemodynamic significance in health and disease.

Background: Pre-(PRE) and post-ejection (POE) velocities by mitral annular tissue Doppler (TD) are biphasic and may be related to myocardial deformations. We investigated the predominance and concordance of TD-PRE and POE velocities and their effect on myocardial functions in controls and in heart failure (HF) patients.

Methods: Retrospectively, 84 HF patients [57.

The Predictive Value of Intraoperative Esophageal Functional Luminal Imaging Probe Panometry in Patients With Achalasia Undergoing Peroral Endoscopic Myotomy: A Single-center Experience.

Background/aims: We evaluated the clinical significance and prognostic power of functional luminal imaging probe (FLIP) panometry in patients with achalasia treated with peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM), and examined the clinical parameters associated with symptomatic improvement and the presence of contractility (POC) following POEM.

Methods: We reviewed the electronic medical records of patients with achalasia treated with FLIP panometry and POEM at a tertiary teaching hospital in Seoul, Republic of Korea. Follow-up examination was composed of esophageal manometry and questionnaires on symptoms.

Clinical Significance of Epstein-Barr Virus and Infection in Gastric Carcinoma.

Background/aims: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and (HP) coinfection may synergistically induce severe inflammatory responses in the stomach tissue, increasing the risk of developing gastric cancer. We aimed to analyze the effect of EBV and HP coinfection on the clinicopathologic features and prognosis of gastric cancer, as well as to evaluate the role of EBV infection in non-gastric carcinoma with lymphoid stroma (non-GCLS).

Methods: Overall, 956 patients who underwent surgery for gastric cancer between September 2014 and August 2015 were eligible and divided into groups, according to GCLS morphology, EBV infection, and HP infection.

Reevaluation of the expanded indications in undifferentiated early gastric cancer for endoscopic submucosal dissection.

Background: Although the criteria for the indication of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for undifferentiated early gastric cancer (UD-EGC) have been recently proposed, accumulating reports on the non-negligible rate of lymph node metastasis (LNM) after indicated ESD raise questions on the reliability of the current criteria.

Aim: To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of LNM in UD-EGC cases meeting the expanded indication for ESD.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 4780 UD-EGC cases that underwent surgical resection between January 2008 and February 2019 at Asan Medical Center, a tertiary university hospital in Korea.

Diagnostic Concordance and Preoperative Risk Factors for Malignancy in Pancreatic Mucinous Cystic Neoplasms.

Background/aims: As pancreatic mucinous cystic neoplasms (MCNs) are considered premalignant lesions, the current guidelines recommend their surgical resection. We aimed to investigate the concordance between preoperative and postoperative diagnoses and evaluate preoperative clinical parameters that could predict the malignant potential of MCNs.

Methods: Patients who underwent surgical resection at Samsung Medical Center for pancreatic cystic lesions and whose pathology was confirmed to be MCN, between July 2000 and December 2017, were retrospectively analyzed.

Combined atrioventricular longitudinal strain rate during isovolumic contraction predicts pulmonary capillary wedge pressure in patients with systolic dysfunction.

Background: Reportedly, mitral annular velocities derived by tissue Doppler imaging (TDI)-during isovolumic contraction (IVV) can predict pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) in heart failure patients with depressed ejection fraction (EF). We investigated the use of color TDI-derived left atrial (LA) and left ventricular (LV) longitudinal strain rate (SR) during isovolumic contraction (IC) to predict the invasively measured PCWP.

Methods And Results: Forty patients referred with symptoms of heart failure were prospectively studied [age: 56±8 years, 12 (30%) females, and mean LVEF: 51±14%].

Risk of Neurodegenerative Diseases in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Nationwide Population-based Cohort Study.

Background And Aims: Although recent studies have reported that inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] is associated with the development of neurodegenerative diseases via chronic intestinal inflammation and the gut-brain axis, there is insufficient evidence supporting this notion. The aim of this study was to determine the risk of neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson's disease [PD] and Alzheimer's disease [AD] in patients with IBD.

Methods: Using the National Health Insurance Service data for the entire Korean population, we identified patients with IBD and controls from 2009 to 2011 and followed them up until 2017.

The Association between Peri-Transplant RBC Transfusion and Graft Failure after Kidney Transplantation: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

Background: Patients undergoing kidney transplantation (KT) often receive red blood cell (RBC) transfusion during admission for KT which may increase the risk of allosensitization. The association between peri-transplant RBC transfusion and graft survival was evaluated using a nationwide cohort.

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed 13,871 patients who underwent KT in Korea between 2007 and 2015.