Effects of Treating Subclinical Rejection 2 Weeks After Kidney Transplantation, as Determined by Analyzing 1-Year Histologic Outcomes.

Subclinical rejection (SCR) is associated with chronic allograft nephropathy. Therefore, early detection and treatment of SCR through a protocol biopsy (PB) can reduce the incidence of pathologic changes. This study evaluates the impact of early detection and treatment of SCR using a routine PB 2 weeks after kidney transplantation (KT) by examining histologic outcomes 1 year later.

The Protective Role of Protocol Biopsy for Allograft Kidney Maintenance in Kidney Transplantation.

Many studies have reported that protocol biopsy (PB) may help preserve kidney function in kidney transplant recipients. Early detection and treatment of subclinical rejection may reduce the incidence of chronic antibody-mediated rejection and graft failure. However, no consensus has been reached regarding PB effectiveness, timing, and policy.

Educational Inequality Regimes amid Algebra-for-All: The Provision and Allocation of Expanding Educational Opportunities.

Schools can approach the task of sorting students to privileged learning opportunities in different ways, potentially creating distinct and durable educational inequality regimes. We test this idea by exploring variation in socioeconomic inequalities in advanced mathematics course-taking across California middle schools during a statewide algebra-for-all initiative. This case provides unique insight into local stratification processes since the state pressured schools to boost advanced course enrollments but provided little guidance about how to do so.

Recurrence dynamics after curative surgery in patients with invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma of the lung.

Background: We investigated the patterns and timing of recurrence and death as well as prognostic factors based on clinicopathological and radiological factors in patients who underwent surgical treatment for invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma (IMA).

Methods: We reviewed clinicopathological findings including spread through air spaces (STAS) and CT findings of IMA such as morphology, solidity, margin, well-defined heterogeneous ground-glass opacity, CT angiogram, and air bronchogram signs from 121 consecutive patients who underwent surgical resection. Prognostic factors for disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were identified.

Impact of Skeletal Muscle Loss and Visceral Obesity Measured Using Serial CT on the Prognosis of Operable Breast Cancers in Asian Patients.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the impact of baseline values and temporal changes in body composition parameters, including skeletal muscle index (SMI) and visceral adipose tissue area (VAT), measured using serial computed tomography (CT) imaging on the prognosis of operable breast cancers in Asian patients.

Materials And Methods: This study retrospectively included 627 Asian female (mean age ± standard deviation [SD], 53.6 ± 8.

Cost-effectiveness and long-term outcomes of liver transplantation using hepatitis B core antibody-positive grafts with hepatitis B immunoglobulin prophylaxis in Korea.

Background/aims: Hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc)-positive donors are used as an extended donor pool, and current guidelines recommend the usage of nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) as prophylaxis for preventing de novo hepatitis B virus infection (DNH). We analyzed the long-term outcomes of a large cohort of liver transplantation (LT) patients receiving anti-HBc-positive grafts and evaluated the risk of DNH when hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) monotherapy was used as prophylaxis. We also compared the cost-effectiveness of HBIG and NAs.

Surgeon Volume and Long-Term Oncologic Outcomes in Patients with Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma.

Background: Surgery is the most important curative treatment for medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). The relationship between surgeon volume (the number of surgeries performed) and short-term surgical outcomes, such as increased postoperative complication or costs, is well established. This study evaluated whether surgeon volume influenced long-term oncologic outcomes.

Clinical Outcomes and Adverse Events of Gastric Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection of the Mid to Upper Stomach under General Anesthesia and Monitored Anesthetic Care.

Background/aims: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) of gastric tumors in the mid-to-upper stomach is a technically challenging procedure. This study compared the therapeutic outcomes and adverse events of ESD of tumors in the mid-to-upper stomach performed under general anesthesia (GA) or monitored anesthesia care (MAC).

Methods: Between 2012 and 2018, 674 patients underwent ESD for gastric tumors in the midbody, high body, fundus, or cardia (100 patients received GA; 574 received MAC).

Impact of Personal Protective Equipment on the First-Pass Success of Endotracheal Intubation in the ED: A Propensity-Score-Matching Analysis.

Various types and levels of personal protective equipment (PPE) are currently available to protect health-care workers against infectious diseases. However, wearing cumbersome PPE may negatively affect their performance in life-saving procedures. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of wearing extensive PPE, including a powered air-purifying respirator with a loose-fitting hood or an N95 filtering facepiece respirator, on the first-pass success (FPS) rate of endotracheal intubation (ETI) in the emergency department (ED).

Individualized Vancomycin Dosing with Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and Pharmacokinetic Consultation Service: A Large-Scale Retrospective Observational Study.

Background: To date, outcome data with a large sample size and data regarding the clinical outcomes of pharmacokinetic-guided (PK) dosing of vancomycin are limited.

Aim: We evaluated the pharmacokinetic and clinical outcomes of a PK-guided dosing advisory program, pharmacokinetic consultation service (PKCS), in vancomycin treatment.

Methods: We investigated vancomycin therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) and PKCS use through a retrospective review of patients who had serum vancomycin trough concentration data from October 2017 to November 2018.

The Tumor-Fat Interface Volume of Breast Cancer on Pretreatment MRI Is Associated with a Pathologic Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy.

Adipocytes are active sources of numerous adipokines that work in both a paracrine and endocrine manner. It is not known that the direct contact between tumor and neighboring fat measured by pretreatment breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) affects treatment outcomes to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in breast cancer patients. A biomarker quantifying the tumor-fat interface volume from pretreatment MRI was proposed and used to predict pathologic complete response (pCR) in breast cancer patients treated with NAC.

Spread through air spaces (STAS) in invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma of the lung: Incidence, prognostic impact, and prediction based on clinicoradiologic factors.

Background: Spread through air spaces (STAS) has recently been demonstrated to exhibit a negative impact on lung adenocarcinoma prognosis. However, most of these studies investigated STAS in nonmucinous adenocarcinoma. Here, we investigated the incidence of STAS in invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma (IMA) of the lung and evaluated whether tumor STAS was a risk factor of disease recurrence in IMA.

Prognostic Impact of Sarcopenia and Skeletal Muscle Loss During Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy in Esophageal Cancer.

Backgrounds: The relationship between sarcopenia, characterized by loss of muscle mass and strength, and survival outcomes of esophageal cancer is controversial. This study aimed to assess the effect of sarcopenia and skeletal muscle loss on overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) of esophageal cancer patients.

Methods: We retrospectively collected the medical records of 248 male patients diagnosed with squamous cell esophageal cancer and who underwent neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NACRT) followed by surgery.

Age-associated changes in chronic rhinosinusitis endotypes.

Background: Immunologic function in innate and adaptive immunity changes with the ageing process. Thus, age-related cytokine profiles in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) need to be investigated for precision medicine.

Objective: The objective of this study was to characterize age-related changes in immunologic profiles according to CRS subtypes.

The Important Factors Associated with Treatment Response in Laser Treatment of Facial Scars: A Single-Institution Based Retrospective Study.

Background: There is increased interest in laser treatment of facial scars.

Objective: To determine the factors associated with treatment response.

Methods: We conducted an institution-based retrospective study by including the patients treated with laser for facial scars from 2012 to 2015.

Risk of high-grade malignancy in parotid gland tumors as classified by the Milan System for Reporting Salivary Gland Cytopathology.

Background: The Milan System for Reporting Salivary Gland Cytopathology (Milan System) has previously shown its diagnostic utility by categorizing the seven cytology findings in salivary gland lesions. However, there has been lack of study about the risk of high-grade malignancy in the cytology diagnosis based on the Milan System. Thus, we tried to identify the diagnostic ability of the Milan System for high-grade malignancy and to suggest an improved diagnostic approach for preoperative estimation of high-grade malignancy using the Milan System.

Comparison of endoscopic submucosal dissection and surgery for superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a propensity score-matched analysis.

Background And Aims: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) has been widely accepted for treating superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SESCC). However, long-term outcomes of ESD and esophagectomy for SESCC have not been compared. We compared the clinical outcomes of ESD and esophagectomy in a matched cohort.

Artifacts during the arterial phase of gadoxetate disodium-enhanced MRI: Multiple arterial phases using view-sharing from two different vendors versus single arterial phase imaging.

Objectives: To assess the usefulness of multiple arterial phase (AP) of gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI using view-sharing of two different vendors to reduce transient severe motion (TSM) artifact in the AP.

Methods: This retrospective study included 298 patients (mean age 63 years) who underwent gadoxetic acid MRI with multiple AP from two different vendors; either triple (subcohort A, n=174) or quadruple (subcohort B, n=124) AP. 202 patients (143 vs.

Treatment outcomes of rifabutin-containing regimens for rifabutin-sensitive multidrug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether rifabutin can improve treatment outcomes in patients with rifabutin-sensitive MDR-TB.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed on 76 patients with rifabutin-sensitive MDR-TB who were treated with or without rifabutin between 2006 and 2011.

Results: Overall, 75% (57/76) of patients achieved favorable outcomes, including cure (53/76, 70%) and treatment completion (4/76, 5%).

Limited Effect of Later-Generation Fluoroquinolones in the Treatment of Ofloxacin-Resistant and Moxifloxacin-Susceptible Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis.

Recent data conflict on the clinical efficacy of later-generation fluoroquinolones, such as moxifloxacin or levofloxacin, for the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) that is resistant to ofloxacin but susceptible to moxifloxacin. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate whether later-generation fluoroquinolones can improve treatment outcomes in patients with ofloxacin-resistant, moxifloxacin-susceptible MDR-TB. A retrospective cohort study was performed on 208 patients with moxifloxacin-susceptible MDR-TB who were treated between 2006 and 2011.

Risk factors for the development of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis in patients with nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease.

Nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease (NTM-LD) is increasingly recognized as an important predisposing condition for the development of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA), but there are limited data on the risk factors for CPA development in NTM-LD patients. We reviewed the medical records of 566 patients who, at the time of diagnosis of NTM-LD, did not have CPA and who received ≥12 months of treatment for NTM-LD between January 2010 and June 2015. Of these patients, 41 (7.

Uterine fibroids: Influence of "T2-Rim sign" on immediate therapeutic responses to magnetic resonance imaging-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation.

Objectives: To investigate the influence of a high-signal-intensity peripheral rim on T2-weighted MR images (i.e., T2-rim sign) on the immediate therapeutic responses of MR-guided high intensity focused ultrasound (MR-HIFU) ablation of uterine fibroids.

The Links Between Youth Employment and Educational Attainment Across Racial Groups.

Research suggests that the relations between adolescent employment and youth development vary by socioeconomic status (SES) and race/ethnicity. However, it is unclear whether the links between paid work and college outcomes vary by either SES or race/ethnicity, or both. Using data from the Educational Longitudinal Study, we find that low-intensity work during high school is associated with positive college outcomes for almost all students, whereas the associations between high-intensity work and negative postsecondary outcomes are mostly limited to White students.

Ipsilateral pleural recurrence after diagnostic transthoracic needle biopsy in pathological stage I lung cancer patients who underwent curative resection.

Objectives: The relationship between transthoracic needle biopsy (TTNB) and pleural recurrence of cancer after curative lung resection remains unclear. We aimed to assess whether TTNB increases the ipsilateral pleural recurrence (IPR) rate and identify other potential risk factors for pleural recurrence after surgery.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study included 392 patients with p-stage I non-small cell lung cancer with solid or part-solid nodules after curative lung resection in 2009-2010.