Psychometric Validation of Sheffield Profile for Assessment and Referral to Care (SPARC) in Korean Cancer Patients.

Purpose: Identifying the palliative care needs of patients with advanced cancer is important for maintaining quality of life and timely transition to palliative care. We aimed to validate the Korean Sheffield Profile for Assessment and Referral for Care (K-SPARC) in such patients and establish its psychometric properties, including reliability, validity, and responsiveness to change.

Materials And Methods: We used the forward-back translated version of SPARC, which was verified through a pilot study, to assess the palliative care needs of patients with advanced cancer.

Curve-centered plaques raise the risk of peri-operative neurological and cardiovascular complications during angioplasty and stenting for severe carotid stenosis.

Introduction: Carotid artery stenting is an alternative interventional treatment to carotid endarterectomy. However, preprocedural considerations and anatomical risk factor analyses for carotid artery stenting are currently insufficient. Therefore, we investigated the high-risk anatomical appearance of carotid artery stenting from the neurointerventionist perspective to predict periprocedural complications.

A novel treatment strategy targeting cellular pathways with natural products to alleviate sarcopenia.

Sarcopenia is a condition marked by a significant reduction in muscle mass and strength, primarily due to the aging process, which critically impacts muscle protein dynamics, metabolic functions, and overall physical functionality. This condition leads to increased body fat and reduced daily activity, contributing to severe health issues and a lower quality of life among the elderly. Recognized in the ICD-10-CM only in 2016, sarcopenia lacks definitive treatment options despite its growing prevalence and substantial social and economic implications.

Severe acquired hemophilia A associated with COVID-19 vaccination: A case report and literature review.

Rationale: Acquired hemophilia A (AHA) is a rare autoimmune disease caused by an antibody that inhibits coagulation factor VIII activity. More than half of patients with AHA cannot identify underlying disorders. The remaining patients are associated with malignancies, autoimmune diseases, skin diseases, infections, and medications.

Impact of multidrug resistance on outcomes in hematologic cancer patients with bacterial bloodstream infections.

Despite the improved outcomes in patients with hematological malignancies, infections caused by multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) pose a new threat to these patients. We retrospectively reviewed the patients with hematological cancer and bacterial bloodstream infections (BSIs) at a tertiary hospital between 2003 and 2022 to assess the impact of MDROs on outcomes. Among 328 BSIs, 81 (24.

A 42-year-old patient with renal cell carcinoma presenting as low back pain: A case report.

Rationale: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common renal neoplasm, accounting for 2.4% of all cancers in Korea. Although the usual clinical manifestations of RCC include flank pain, hematuria, and palpable mass, RCC is generally characterized by a lack of early warning signs and is mostly discovered incidentally in advanced stage.

Validity Study for Clinical Use of Hand-Held Spirometer in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

A spirometer is a medical device frequently used clinically for the diagnosis and prediction of lung disease. This study aimed to investigate the clinical usefulness of a hand-held spirometer (The Spirokit), compared with conventional spirometry in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study was conducted from February 2022 to October 2022.

Effects of dietary trace mineral levels on physiological responses, reproductive performance, litter performance, blood profiles, and milk composition in gestating sows.

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of optimal trace mineral levels on the physiological responses, reproductive performance, litter performance, blood profiles and milk composition in gestating sows.

Methods: A total of 59 multiparous sows (Yorkshire×Landrace) with similar body weight (BW), backfat thickness (BF), and parity were assigned to one of four treatments with 14 or 15 sows per treatment using a completely randomized design. The treatments were 100% (M1), 300% (M3), 600% (M6), and 900% (M9) of the National Research Council (NRC) Nutrient Requirements of Swine.

Short-term effects of dietary selenium on lactating sows to improve litter performance, milk composition and tissue selenium retention in piglets.

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the short-term effects of dietary selenium supplementation on lactating sows on the physiological response, litter performance, milk composition, and tissue selenium retention in piglets when selenium was provided by different sources and at different levels in a lactation diet.

Methods: A total of 48 multiparous sows (Yorkshire×Landrace) with average body weight, backfat thickness, and parity were assigned to one of the four treatments with 12 sows per treatment using a 2×2 factorial arrangement in a completely randomized design. Inorganic or organic Se sources were added to the diet at 0.

Effects of β-glucan with vitamin E supplementation on the growth performance, blood profiles, immune response, pork quality, pork flavor, and economic benefit in growing and finishing pigs.

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of β-glucan with vitamin E supplementation on the growth performance, blood profiles, immune response, pork quality, pork flavor, and economic benefit in growing and finishing pigs.

Methods: A total of 140 growing pigs ([Yorkshire×Landrace]×Duroc) were assigned to five treatments considering sex and initial body weight (BW) in 4 replications with 7 pigs per pen in a randomized complete block design. The experimental diets included a corn-soybean meal-based basal diet with or without 0.

Effects of β-glucan with vitamin E supplementation on the growth performance, blood profiles, immune response, fecal microbiota, fecal score, and nutrient digestibility in weaning pigs.

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate effects of β-glucan with vitamin E supplementation on the growth performance, blood profiles, immune response, fecal microbiota, fecal score, and nutrient digestibility in weaning pigs.

Methods: A total of 200 weaning pigs with an average body weight (BW) of 7.64±0.

An unusual case of carotidynia preceding recurrent ischemic stroke with carotid thrombosis in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Carotid artery thrombosis following carotidynia is an uncommon manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus. We report the case of a woman without evidence of a lupus flare-up who presented with the unusual clinical course of ipsilateral carotidynia and recurrent ischemic stroke due to carotid thrombosis. To our knowledge, this is the first case of such an unusual manifestation in lupus and highlights distinctive challenges in the diagnosis and management of carotid artery thrombosis following carotidynia.

Effects of β-glucan with vitamin E supplementation on the physiological response, litter performance, blood profiles, immune response, and milk composition of lactating sows.

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of β-glucan with vitamin E supplementation on the physiological response, litter performance, blood profiles, immune response, and milk composition of lactating sows.

Methods: A total of 50 multiparous F1 sows (Yorkshire×Landrace) with an average body weight (BW) of 233.6±4.

Impact of Neuroimaging Patterns for the Detection of Atrial Fibrillation by Implantable Loop Recorders in Patients With Embolic Stroke of Undetermined Source.

Objectives: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a well-known etiology of embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS), although the optimal detection strategy of AF was not been fully evaluated yet. We assessed AF detection rate by implantable loop recorder (ILR) in patients with ESUS and compared the clinical characteristics and neuroimaging patterns between the patients with AF and AF-free patients.

Methods: We reviewed clinical characteristics and neuroimaging patterns of consecutive patients with who were admitted to our comprehensive stroke center for ESUS and underwent ILR insertion between August 1, 2019, and January 31, 202.

Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS) in a patient with lung cancer under treatment with pembrolizumab: a case study.

Pembrolizumab is an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) against the programmed death-1 receptor. Herein, we introduce a rare adverse effect during using pembrolizumab. We present the case of an 80-year-old man with biopsy-proven unresectable double primary squamous cell carcinoma and large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the lung.

Microneedles in Action: Microneedling and Microneedles-Assisted Transdermal Delivery.

Human skin is a multilayered physiochemical barrier protecting the human body. The stratum corneum (SC) is the outermost keratinized layer of skin through which only molecules with less or equal to 500 Da (Dalton) in size can freely move through the skin. Unfortunately, the conventional use of a hypothermic needle for large therapeutic agents is susceptible to needle phobia and the risk of acquiring infectious diseases.

Effect of Acupuncture on Delayed Emesis for the Patients Who Received High-Emetogenic Chemotherapy with Standard Antiemetic Prophylaxis (KHMC-HO-01): An Open-Label, Randomized Study.

Background: Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is one of the most important issues associated with chemotherapy. The additional or synergistic effect of acupuncture on CINV remains controversial.

Methods: Patients were randomized into either the group that received standard antiemetics with acupuncture (Arm A) or standard antiemetics only (Arm C).

Natural Products as a Novel Therapeutic Strategy for NLRP3 Inflammasome-Mediated Gout.

Gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis. It occurs when monosodium urate crystals (MSU) are deposited within joints due to hyperuricemia and persistent elevations of serum uric acid levels. Traditional gout treatment such as urate-lowering therapy is difficult to continue for a long period of time due to the risk of side effects.

Pulmonary Metastasizing Low-Grade Endometrial Stromal Sarcoma: Case Report and Review of Diagnostic Pitfalls.

Pulmonary manifestations of benign metastasizing leiomyoma (BML) usually include multiple well-defined, round, bilateral nodules. Low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma (LG-ESS) is a rare uterine tumor. A 70-year-old woman visited the clinic complaining of acute cough and dyspnea in April 2017.

Effects of Lysine Cell Mass Supplementation as a Substitute for L-Lysine·HCl on Growth Performance, Diarrhea Incidence, and Blood Profiles in Weaning Pigs.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of lysine cell mass (LCM) as an alternative lysine source in diets for weaning pigs on growth performance, diarrhea incidence, and blood profiles. In experiment 1, a total of 200 weaning pigs, with an average body weight (BW) of 6.89 ± 1.

A Novel Treatment Strategy by Natural Products in NLRP3 Inflammasome-Mediated Neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) are the most common neurodegenerative diseases. Many studies have demonstrated that the release of NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated proinflammatory cytokines by the excessive activation of microglia is associated with the pathogenesis of AD and PD and suggested that the NLRP3 inflammasome plays an important role in AD and PD development. In both diseases, various stimuli, such as Aβ and α-synuclein, accelerate the formation of the NLRP3 inflammasome in microglia and induce pyroptosis through the expression of interleukin (IL)-1β, caspase-1, etc.

Stage IV Epstein-Barr Virus-Associated Early Gastric Cancer and Comparative Analysis of Genetic Alterations in Primary and Metastatic Tumors.

Early gastric cancer (EGC) with synchronous distant metastasis is extremely rare. Here, we report a case of stage IV Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) -associated EGC. A 51-year-old man presented with vague abdominal pain of 3 weeks' duration.

A Case of Congenital Common Bile Duct Web Treated with Balloon Dilation under Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography in a Young Child.

Web in common bile duct (CBD web) is very rare. It is usually asymptomatic and detected incidentally during surgery for other causes in adults. It can be congenital or acquired, however congenital CBD web is extremely rare.

Lenvatinib-Induced Acute Pancreatitis in a Patient with Metastatic Thyroid Cancer: A Case Report.

Background: Lenvatinib, a novel multi-target tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has been approved for treating differentiated thyroid cancer. Herein, we describe a rare case of acute pancreatitis that developed during lenvatinib treatment in a 65-year-old man with recurrent thyroid cancer.

Case Presentation: The patient was admitted to our department following a complaint of acute-onset epigastric pain and indigestion.

Idiopathic Hepatic Portal Venous Gas in a Healthy Young Man.

Background: Hepatic portal venous gas (HPVG) is a pathological condition characterized by gas in the portal venous system and its branches. The clinical manifestations of HPVG range from benign to life-threatening conditions. Here, we present a rare case of HPVG accompanied by free air in a healthy young patient without any suspicious etiology.