Randomized Comparison of Progression of Atherosclerotic Plaques and Calcification of Coronary Artery in Atrial Fibrillation Patients Treated With Edoxaban Versus Warfarin (The REPRESENT-AF trial).

Although the adverse effects of long-term use of vitamin K oral anticoagulant (OAC), warfarin, on the coronary vasculature are well-established, it remains unknown whether nonvitamin K oral anticoagulants play a role in the attenuation of plaque progression and coronary calcification. This study aimed to compare the changes in atherosclerotic plaques and calcification of the coronary arteries in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) treated with edoxaban and warfarin. A total of 150 OAC-naïve patients with AF and atherosclerotic lesions on coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) were enrolled and randomly assigned to the edoxaban or warfarin treatment groups.

Latest knowledge on a comprehensive understanding of cervical deformity and selection of effective treatment methods using recent classification systems: a narrative review.

Surgical treatment for patients with cervical spine deformities is challenging for both patients and doctors. For successful surgical treatment, mastery of processes is important to objectively evaluate and classify the degree of deformity. Recently, efforts have been increasing to systematically understand, evaluate, and effectively treat complex cervical spine deformities.

Combination of rituximab and methotrexate followed by rituximab and cytarabine in elderly patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma.

The optimal treatment strategy for newly diagnosed primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) has yet to be established, especially in the elderly. In the current study, we conducted a phase II study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of rituximab plus high-dose MTX followed by rituximab plus cytarabine in patients aged ≥60 years newly diagnosed with PCNSL. Patients received an induction treatment of high-dose methotrexate plus rituximab followed by two cycles of a consolidation treatment of cytarabine plus rituximab.

Antioxidative effects of molybdenum and its association with reduced prevalence of hyperuricemia in the adult population.

The relationship between molybdenum and kidney-related disease outcomes, including hyperuricemia, is not well investigated. This study aims to determine whether molybdenum and its antioxidative property are associated with systemic inflammation and kidney-related disease parameters including hyperuricemia. Urinary molybdenum's epidemiological relationship to hyperuricemia and kidney-disease related outcomes was evaluated in 15,370 adult participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) collected between 1999 and 2016.

Impact of age on eGFR dynamics following sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor therapy: A real-world study.

Aim: The initial decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), often known as the "initial dip," associated with sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) is typically transient but may be more pronounced in older patients.

Methods: We analyzed real-world data from 2,070 patients newly prescribed SGLT2i, tracking eGFR changes at baseline and 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after initiation. We defined a significant initial dip as over 10 % reduction in eGFR at 3 months.

Rationale, Design, and Interim Observations of the Steady Movement With Innovating Leadership for Heart Failure (SMILE HF) Registry: A Multicenter Prospective Cohort Registry for Patients With Acute Heart Failure.

Background And Objectives: Heart failure (HF) is a leading cause of hospitalization and death worldwide. The Steady Movement with Innovating Leadership for Heart Failure (SMILE HF) aims to evaluate the clinical characteristics, management, hospital course, and long-term outcomes of patients hospitalized for acute HF in South Korea.

Methods: This prospective, observational multicenter cohort study was conducted on consecutive patients hospitalized for acute HF in nine university hospitals since September 2019.

Dementia incidence varied by anticancer drugs and molecular targeted therapy in a population-based cohort study.

Anticancer drugs may affect the incidence of dementia by modulating the common pathophysiology between cancer and dementia. However, there is a paucity of research that focused on anticancer drugs with different mechanisms of action and their associations with subtypes of dementia. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the incidence of dementia according to various groups of anticancer drugs.

Can ultrasonography be used to differentiate parathyroid masses abutting the thyroid gland from thyroid masses extending into the parathyroid area?

Aim: To determine the ultrasonographic (US) features that could help to distinguish between parathyroid masses abutting the thyroid gland and thyroid masses extending into the parathyroid area.

Materials And Methods: Two blinded readers retrospectively evaluated the US images of 76 histopathologically confirmed parathyroid masses abutting the thyroid gland and 34 thyroid masses extending into the parathyroid area. Maximal diameter, transverse diameter/anterior-posterior diameter (T/AP) ratio, longitudinal diameter/AP diameter (L/AP) ratio, margin, shape, echogenicity, echotexture, and echogenic interface were evaluated and compared between the two groups.

Architecture and anatomy of executive processes: evidence from verbal fluency and Trail Making Test in 2009 stroke patients.

Objectives: The few voxel-wise lesion-symptom mapping (VLSM) studies aimed at identifying the anatomy of executive function are limited by the absence of a model and by small populations. Using Trail Making Test (TMT) and verbal fluency and a model of their architectures, our objective was to identify the key structures underlying two major executive processes, set-shifting and strategic word search.

Methods: We applied a validated VLSM analysis to harmonized cognitive and imaging data from 2009 ischemic stroke patients as a part of the Meta VCI Map consortium.

Comparing Costs and Healthcare Resource Utilization (HCRU) Using LAMA versus LABA/ICS at Treatment Initiation for COPD: Findings from CITRUS (Comparing the Incidence of Tiotropium and ICS/LABA in Real-World Use in South Korea) Study.

Background: COPD causes substantial economic burden on healthcare. Alternative treatment strategies for COPD can be associated with different costs dependent upon their relative safety and effectiveness. We compared costs and healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) associated with LAMA or LABA/ICS initiation.

[Treatment Strategies for Gastric Cancer Patients with Gastric Outlet Obstruction].

Gastric cancer frequently leads to gastric outlet obstruction (GOO), causing significant symptoms and complications. Surgical bypass and stenting are two representative palliative treatments for GOO by gastric cancer. This study reviews clinical guidelines for malignant GOO treatment, highlighting differences in recommendations based on patient survival expectations and systemic health.

Pneumovesical vesicovaginal fistula repair: Lessons learned from an initial series of 25 patients.

Objectives: This study aims to share the experiences and outcomes of laparoscopic pneumovesical repair for vesicovaginal fistulas (VVF).

Materials And Methods: A retrospective review of medical records from a single institution over 10 years was conducted. The focus was on patients who underwent VVF repair using a pneumovesical approach with three 5 mm laparoscopic ports.

SOD1 inhibition enhances sorafenib efficacy in HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma by modulating PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway and ROS-mediated cell death.

Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection significantly elevates the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), with the HBV X protein (HBx) playing a crucial role in cancer progression. Sorafenib, the primary therapy for advanced HCC, shows limited effectiveness in HBV-infected patients due to HBx-related resistance. Numerous studies have explored combination therapies to overcome this resistance.

Estimating infant age from skull X-ray images using deep learning.

This study constructed deep learning models using plain skull radiograph images to predict the accurate postnatal age of infants under 12 months. Utilizing the results of the trained deep learning models, it aimed to evaluate the feasibility of employing major changes visible in skull X-ray images for assessing postnatal cranial development through gradient-weighted class activation mapping. We developed DenseNet-121 and EfficientNet-v2-M convolutional neural network models to analyze 4933 skull X-ray images collected from 1343 infants.

Risk factors of acute exacerbation and disease progression in young patients with COPD.

Objective: We aimed to elucidate the clinical factors associated with acute exacerbation and disease progression in young patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Methods: This retrospective longitudinal observational study included patients with COPD aged between 20 and 50 years with post-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV)/forced vital capacity (FVC)<0.7.

Ethnic differences in the effects of apolipoprotein E ɛ4 and vascular risk factors on accelerated brain aging.

The frequency of the apolipoprotein E ɛ4 allele and vascular risk factors differs among ethnic groups. We aimed to assess the combined effects of apolipoprotein E ɛ4 and vascular risk factors on brain age in Korean and UK cognitively unimpaired populations. We also aimed to determine the differences in the combined effects between the two populations.