Safety and Efficacy of Pivot-Balloon for Severe Tricuspid Regurgitation: The First-in-Man Experiences.

Background And Objectives: Among various emerging catheter-based treatments for severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR), the spacer device can reduce the regurgitation orifice without manipulating the valve leaflet. However, its clinical application has been hampered by traumatic anchoring to the myocardium and the coaxial alignment of the balloon resulting in insufficient TR reduction. This study aimed to evaluate the early-stage safety, technical feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of the novel atraumatic vertical spacer in patients with isolated severe TR.

Association Between Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease and Periodontitis: A Longitudinal Follow-Up Study from the Korean National Health Screening Cohort.

Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and periodontitis are common conditions in older adults that can lead to serious complications, gaining public health attention. Although GERD and periodontitis share common risk factors, such as age, lifestyle habits, and socioeconomic status, large-scale studies examining their specific relationship are limited.

Methods: This study aimed to assess the association between GERD and the likelihood of developing periodontitis using a national validated cohort data from Korea.

Age and Clinically Actionable Events in Patients With Implantable Loop Recorders: Analysis of Multicenter Loop Recorder Registry.

Introduction: Little is known about age and clinical intervention after implantable loop recorder (ILR) insertion. This study investigated the association between age and clinical intervention after ILR implantation.

Methods And Results: Data were obtained from a multicenter registry of ILR in Korea (2017-2020, n = 795).

ROsulord® sAfety for Patients with Dyslipidemia Study: A Non-interventional, Multicenter, Prospective, Observational Study in South Korea.

Introduction: The ROsulord® sAfety for patients with Dyslipidemia study (ROAD study) in the Republic of Korea investigated the safety and efficacy of rosuvastatin in routine clinical practice.

Methods: This non-interventional, multicenter, prospective, observational study was conducted over a period of approximately 4.6 years and involved 14,243 participants.

When Would Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery Not Be Preferable for Metastatic Spine Disease?

Background: Metastatic spine tumor surgery (MSTS) is an important treatment modality of metastatic spinal disease (MSD). Open spine surgery (OSS) was previously the gold standard of treatment till the early 2010s. However, advancements in MSTS in recent years have led to the advent of minimally invasive spinal surgery (MISS) techniques for the treatment of MSD.

Efficacy and safety of safinamide in Parkinson's disease patients with motor fluctuations without levodopa dosage escalation over 18 weeks: KEEP study.

This multicentre, prospective, single-arm study evaluated safinamide as add-on therapy to levodopa in Korean patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) with motor fluctuations with ≥ 1.5 h of "off" time daily, who took levodopa ≥ 3 times/day (n = 199). Baseline levodopa and dopamine agonist doses were maintained without escalation during the 18-week treatment period.

Advancements in Therapeutic Approaches for Degenerative Tendinopathy: Evaluating Efficacy and Challenges.

Degenerative tendinopathy results from the accumulation of minor injuries following unsuccessful tendon repair during acute tendon injuries. The process of tendon repair is prolonged and varies between individuals, making it susceptible to reinjury. Moreover, treating chronic tendinopathy often requires expensive and extensive rehabilitation, along with a variety of combined therapies to facilitate recovery.

Cholecystectomy Increases the Risk of Chronic Kidney Disease: A Nationwide Longitudinal Cohort Study.

Growing evidence suggests that cholecystectomy is associated with adverse health outcomes, including the development of metabolic diseases. However, data on the association between cholecystectomy and kidney disease are limited. The present study aimed to investigate the association between cholecystectomy and chronic kidney disease (CKD) using a nationwide longitudinal cohort.

Differential Validity of K-MoCA-22 Compared to K-MoCA-30 and K-MMSE for Screening MCI and Dementia.

Background And Purpose: Since the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, the Telephone-Montreal Cognitive Assessment (T-MoCA) has gained popularity as a remote cognitive screening tool. T-MoCA includes items from the original MoCA (MoCA-30), excluding those requiring visual stimuli, resulting in a maximum score of 22 points. This study aimed to assess whether the T-MoCA items (MoCA-22) demonstrate comparable discriminatory power to MoCA-30 and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) in screening for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia.

Lecanemab: Appropriate Use Recommendations by Korean Dementia Association.

Lecanemab (product name Leqembi®) is an anti-amyloid monoclonal antibody treatment approved for use in Korea for patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild dementia due to Alzheimer's disease. The Korean Dementia Association has created recommendations for the appropriate use of lecanemab to assist clinicians. These recommendations include selecting patients for administration, necessary pre-administration tests and preparations, administration methods, monitoring for amyloid related imaging abnormalities (ARIA), and communication with patients and caregivers.

Impact of Peritoneal Neutrophil Extracellular Traps on Peritoneal Characteristics and Technical Failure in Patients Undergoing Peritoneal Dialysis.

Introduction: Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is an effective home therapy for end-stage kidney disease. However, continuous exposure to PD fluids with high glucose concentration and recurrent peritonitis may lead to the activation of cellular and molecular processes of peritoneal damage, including inflammation and fibrosis. In particular, recent studies have highlighted the role of neutrophils in chronic inflammation.

Prognostic impact of age on outcomes of hepatic decompensation in patients with compensated cirrhosis (CHESS2102): an international, multicenter cohort study.

Baveno VII criteria (B7C) and Baveno VI criteria (B6C) have been widely used to estimate the risk of hepatic decompensation. However, the impact of age on these criteria warrants further investigation. The international, multicenter cohort study included 1138 patients with compensated cirrhosis (median follow-up of 40.

Noninvasive Hepatic Steatosis and Fibrosis Indices Differentially Predict Mortality in the Adult Korean Population.

Background & Aims: Because the association of hepatic fibrosis and steatosis non-invasive indices with mortality remain controversial, their association with all-cause, cardiovascular-, cancer-, and liver-related mortality was evaluated in the Korean population.

Methods: In this registry-based, cohort study, data were retrieved from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and mortality data from the Korean Cause of Death data registry; 40,491 individuals followed-up for a median of 8.6 years.

Long-Term Results from an Open-Label Extension Study of Atacicept for the Treatment of IgA Nephropathy.

Background: B-cell activating factor (BAFF) and A proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL) play key roles in the pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy. Atacicept is a novel fully humanized fusion protein, self-administered at home by subcutaneous injection, that binds and inhibits BAFF and APRIL. By inhibiting BAFF and APRIL, atacicept targets the underlying B-cell–mediated pathogenesis driving disease progression.

A prospective multicenter randomized controlled trial on artificial intelligence assisted colonoscopy for enhanced polyp detection.

Colon polyp detection and removal via colonoscopy are essential for colorectal cancer screening and prevention. This study aimed to develop a colon polyp detection program based on the RetinaNet algorithm and verify its clinical utility. To develop the AI-assisted program, the dataset was fully anonymized and divided into 10 folds for 10-fold cross-validation.

Pharmacokinetics of Vancomycin in Healthy Korean Volunteers and Monte Carlo Simulations to Explore Optimal Dosage Regimens in Patients with Normal Renal Function.

: To date, population pharmacokinetic (PK) studies of vancomycin on healthy Korean adults have not been conducted. This study aimed to investigate the PK properties of vancomycin in healthy volunteers and to identify optimal dosing regimens based on the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) in adult patients with normal renal function. : We conducted a prospective clinical study, analysing PK samples from 12 healthy participants using noncompartmental analysis and non-linear mixed-effects modelling.

Intraoperative Facial Nerve Monitoring during Parotidectomy: The Current Practices and Patterns of the Korean Society of Head and Neck Surgery (KSHNS).

This study aimed to evaluate the current practices and trends of intraoperative facial nerve (FN) monitoring (IOFNM) during parotidectomy. A questionnaire containing 33 questions collecting information on the usage, indications, settings, techniques, loss of signal (LOS) management, anesthesiologist cooperation, and perception of usefulness of IOFNM was distributed among 348 members of the Korean Society of Head and Neck Surgery (KSHNS) via a dedicated website. The response rate was approximately 25.