Impact of Routine Follow-Ups After Curative Gastrectomy in Elderly Patients with Early Gastric Cancer.

Introduction: Elderly patients with early gastric cancer exhibit a relatively shorter life expectancy and lower recurrence risk, prompting consideration of whether the regular follow-up strategy should apply to this demographic. This study was designed to determine the effect of routine postoperative follow-up on the elderly patients, specifically those pathologically diagnosed with stage I gastric cancer.

Methods And Materials: This retrospective analysis was conducted at a single tertiary center and enrolled patients aged ≥ 75 years who underwent curative gastrectomy for stage I gastric cancer between January of 2007 and December of 2016.

Effect of contrast media on CT bone density assessment: comparative analysis of low-dose chest CT and abdominopelvic CT.

Detecting individuals with low bone mineral density (BMD) before clinical fractures occur may help improve the outcomes of osteoporosis and osteopenia. Although computed tomography (CT) is useful for opportunistic BMD measurement, the modality most suitable for opportunistic screening remains unclear. In this retrospective study, we compared the diagnostic performance of low-dose chest CT (LDCT) and contrast-enhanced abdominopelvic CT (APCT) for measuring BMD at L1 level using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) as a reference in individuals who underwent LDCT, APCT, and DEXA assessments on the same day.

Diagnosis of Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms Using Proton-Density Magnetic Resonance Angiography: A Comparison With High-Resolution Time-of-Flight Magnetic Resonance Angiography.

Objective: Differentiating intracranial aneurysms from normal variants using CT angiography (CTA) or MR angiography (MRA) poses significant challenges. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of proton-density MRA (PD-MRA) compared to high-resolution time-of-flight MRA (HR-MRA) in diagnosing aneurysms among patients with indeterminate findings on conventional CTA or MRA.

Materials And Methods: In this retrospective analysis, we included patients who underwent both PD-MRA and HR-MRA from August 2020 to July 2022 to assess lesions deemed indeterminate on prior conventional CTA or MRA examinations.

Long-Term Follow-Up of Interstitial Lung Abnormality: Implication in Follow-Up Strategy and Risk Thresholds.

The optimal follow-up computed tomography (CT) interval for detecting the progression of interstitial lung abnormality (ILA) is unknown. To identify optimal follow-up strategies and extent thresholds on CT relevant to outcomes. This retrospective study included self-referred screening participants aged 50 years or older, including nonsmokers, who had imaging findings relevant to ILA on chest CT scans.

Evaluating anti-thymocyte globulin induction doses for better allograft and patient survival in Asian kidney transplant recipients.

Anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) is currently the most widely prescribed induction regimen for preventing acute rejection after solid organ transplantation. However, the optimal dose of ATG induction regimen in Asian kidney recipients is unclear. Using the Korean Organ Transplantation Registry, we performed a retrospective cohort study of 4579 adult patients who received renal transplantation in South Korea and divided them into three groups according to the induction regimen: basiliximab group (n = 3655), low-dose ATG group (≤ 4.

Real-time ultrasound guidance versus fluoroscopic guidance in thoracic epidural catheter placement: a single-center, non-inferiority, randomized, active-controlled trial.

Introduction: Fluoroscopy can improve the success rate of thoracic epidural catheter placement (TECP). Real-time ultrasound (US)-guided TECP was recently introduced and showed a high first-pass success rate. We tested whether real-time US-guided TECP results in a non-inferior first-pass success rate compared with that of fluoroscopy-guided TECP.

Protective Effects of Hemp () Root Extracts against Insulin-Deficient Diabetes Mellitus In Mice.

The pharmacological potential of industrial hemp () has been widely studied. However, the majority of studies have focused on cannabidiol, isolated from the inflorescence and leaf of the plant. In the present study, we evaluated the anti-diabetic potential of hemp root water (HWE) and ethanol extracts (HEE) in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced insulin-deficient diabetic mice.

Effectiveness of pulmonary artery catheter monitoring for patients with cardiogenic shock of various causes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Cardiogenic shock is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Invasive hemodynamic monitoring with pulmonary artery catheterization (PAC) can be useful in the assessment of changes in cardiac function and hemodynamic status; however, the benefits of PAC in the management of cardiogenic shock are not known well.

Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies and randomized controlled trials, comparing in-hospital mortality between PAC and non-PAC groups of cardiogenic shock patients with various underlying causes.

Real-life effectiveness and safety of tofacitinib treatment in patients with ulcerative colitis: a KASID multicenter cohort study.

Background: Tofacitinib is a small molecule that inhibits Janus kinase and has been reported to be effective in Western patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). However, the real-life data on tofacitinib in Asian UC patients are limited.

Objective: To investigate the real-life effectiveness and safety of tofacitinib induction and maintenance treatment in Korean patients with UC.

Feasibility and intra-and interobserver reproducibility of quantitative susceptibility mapping with radiomic features for intracranial dissecting intramural hematomas and atherosclerotic calcifications.

Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) for 61 patients with dissecting intramural hematomas (n = 36) or atherosclerotic calcifications (n = 25) in intracranial vertebral arteries were collected to assess intra- and interobserver reproducibility in a 3.0-T MR system between January 2015 and December 2017. Two independent observers each segmented regions of interest for lesions twice.

Targetoid Primary Liver Malignancy in Chronic Liver Disease: Prediction of Postoperative Survival Using Preoperative MRI Findings and Clinical Factors.

Objective: We aimed to assess and validate the radiologic and clinical factors that were associated with recurrence and survival after curative surgery for heterogeneous targetoid primary liver malignancies in patients with chronic liver disease and to develop scoring systems for risk stratification.

Materials And Methods: This multicenter retrospective study included 197 consecutive patients with chronic liver disease who had a single targetoid primary liver malignancy (142 hepatocellular carcinomas, 37 cholangiocarcinomas, 17 combined hepatocellular carcinoma-cholangiocarcinomas, and one neuroendocrine carcinoma) identified on preoperative gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI and subsequently surgically removed between 2010 and 2017. Of these, 120 patients constituted the development cohort, and 77 patients from separate institution served as an external validation cohort.

Real-world effectiveness and safety of ustekinumab induction therapy for Korean patients with Crohn's disease: a KASID prospective multicenter study.

Background/aims: We investigated the real-world effectiveness and safety of ustekinumab (UST) as induction treatment for Koreans with Crohn's disease (CD).

Methods: CD patients who started UST were prospectively enrolled from 4 hospitals in Korea. All enrolled patients received intravenous UST infusion at week 0 and subcutaneous UST injection at week 8.

Prognostic significance of pretreatment F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography in patients with T2N1 hormone receptor-positive, ERBB2-negative breast cancer who underwent adjuvant chemotherapy.

Purpose: To determine whether tumor uptake of F-fluorodeoxyglucose (F-FDG) is associated with invasive disease-free survival (IDFS) in patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive ERBB2-negative early-stage breast cancer treated with adjuvant chemotherapy.

Methods: This is a single-center cohort study of women with breast cancer who underwent surgery between 2008 and 2015 at Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea. Patients were enrolled if they were diagnosed with HR-positive ERBB2-negative breast cancer with histology of invasive ductal carcinoma, had an American Joint Committee on Cancer pathologic tumor stage of T2N1 with 1-3 positive axillary nodes, underwent preoperative F-FDG positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT), and underwent breast cancer surgery followed by anthracycline- or taxane-based adjuvant chemotherapy.

Nypa fruticans Wurmb inhibits melanogenesis in isobutylmethylxanthine‑treated melanoma via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR/CREB and MAPK signaling pathways.

Malignant melanoma is responsible for 3.0 and 1.7% of cases of tumor incidence and tumor-associated mortality, respectively, in the Caucasian population.

Ticagrelor Versus Clopidogrel in East Asian Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome and Diabetes Mellitus.

Background: It is still unknown whether diabetes mellitus (DM) affects the relative safety and efficacy of ticagrelor vs clopidogrel in East Asian patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

Objectives: The authors sought to assess the safety and efficacy of ticagrelor vs clopidogrel according to the diabetic status of East Asian patients with ACS undergoing invasive management.

Methods: This prespecified analysis of the TICA KOREA (Clinically Significant Bleeding With Ticagrelor Versus Clopidogrel in Korean Patients With Acute Coronary Syndromes Intended for Invasive Management) trial included 800 Korean patients.

Predicting Responsiveness to Biofeedback Therapy Using High-resolution Anorectal Manometry With Integrated Pressurized Volume.

Background/aims: Biofeedback therapy is widely used to treat patients with chronic constipation, especially those with dyssynergic defecation. Yet, the utility of high-resolution manometry with novel parameters in the prediction of biofeedback response has not been reported. Thus, we constructed a model for predicting biofeedback therapy responders by applying the concept of integrated pressurized volume in patients undergoing high-resolution anorectal manometry.

Breast Tissue Restoration after the Partial Mastectomy Using Polycaprolactone Scaffold.

As breast conserving surgery increases in the surgical treatment of breast cancer, partial mastectomy is also increasing. Polycaprolactone (PCL) is a polymer that is used as an artifact in various parts of the human body based on the biocompatibility and mechanical properties of PCL. Here, we hypothesized that a PCL scaffold can be utilized for the restoration of breast tissue after a partial mastectomy.

Extrahepatic carcinogenicity of oral nucleos(t)ide analogues in chronic hepatitis B carriers: A 35,000-Korean outcome study.

Evidence on the carcinogenicity of oral nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) is inconclusive and lacks data on the effects by chemical structure of the NAs in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). We aimed to provide definitive results on this issue using a large set of CHB patients and data on all major NA drugs. The study population consisted of 10,331 patients with CHB receiving primary NA treatment for more than 6 months, and 24,836 untreated controls followed for at least as long as the treated patients.

Comparing surgical and oncologic outcomes between laparoscopic gastrectomy and open gastrectomy in advanced gastric cancer with serosal invasion: A retrospective study with propensity score matching.

Purpose: Laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) has gradually increased for treating advanced gastric cancer (AGC). However, there is a lack of evidence on oncologic safety for AGC, especially with serosal invasion. This study evaluates the surgical and oncologic outcomes between laparoscopic and open gastrectomy (OG) for gastric cancer with serosal invasion.

Impact of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and asthma-COPD overlap on the prognosis of coronavirus disease 2019.

Background: The effects of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or asthma-COPD overlap (ACO) on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remain unclear.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the effects of chronic obstructive airway diseases such as asthma, COPD, and ACO on COVID-19.

Methods: In total, 5625 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 were divided into asthma, COPD, ACO, and control groups.

Larger Remaining Stomach Volume Is Associated With Better Nutrition and Muscle Preservation in Patients With Gastric Cancer Receiving Distal Gastrectomy With Gastroduodenostomy.

Purpose: Weight loss and deterioration in body composition are observed in patients with gastric cancer (GC) following gastrectomy. This study aimed to investigate the impact of residual stomach volume (RSV) on the nutritional status and body composition of patients with GC treated with distal gastrectomy.

Materials And Methods: In total, 227 patients who underwent minimally invasive distal gastrectomy with Billroth 1 anastomosis for stage I GC between February 2015 and May 2018 were enrolled.

US Evaluation of Axillary Lymphadenopathy Following COVID-19 Vaccination: A Prospective Longitudinal Study.

Background Both temporal changes in imaging characteristics of lymphadenopathy on US scans after COVID-19 vaccination and expected duration of radiologically evident lymphadenopathy remain uncertain. Purpose To longitudinally evaluate COVID-19 vaccine-associated lymphadenopathy on axillary US scans at various time intervals in both messenger (mRNA) and vector vaccine recipients. Materials and Methods This prospective cohort study was conducted between March 2021 and January 2022.