Impact of Multidrug-Resistant Bacterial Colonization on Clinical Characteristics, Antibiotic Treatment, and Clinical Outcomes of Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia.

Purpose: To determine effects of colonization with multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDRB) in general wards on characteristics, treatment, and prognosis of hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP).

Methods: This was a multicenter retrospective cohort study of patients with HAP admitted to 16 tertiary or university hospitals in Korea from July 2019 to December 2019. From the entire cohort, patients who developed pneumonia in general wards with known colonization status before the onset of pneumonia were included in this study.

Circulatory age-associated B cells: Their distinct transcriptomic characteristics and clinical significance in drug-naïve patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Age-associated B cells (ABCs) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. However, the global gene expression and clinical significance of circulatory ABCs in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remain poorly understood. Here, single-cell RNA sequencing identified nine B cell subsets in peripheral blood of RA patients, including ABCs.

Predisposing Risk Factors Affecting Reversibility of Left Ventricular Diastolic Filling Pattern in Patients with Preserved Ejection Fraction.

Purpose: Improvement of left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction (DD) is known to be a good prognostic factor in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (EF). In the present study, we investigated the predisposing risk factors affecting the reversibility of LV diastolic filling pattern (DFP) in patients with preserved EF.

Materials And Methods: A total of 600 patients with pseudonormal LVDFP and preserved EF who underwent follow-up echocardiography were enrolled between 2011 and 2020.

Gastric Stenosis Four Years After Adjustable Gastric Band Removal Surgery-A Video Case Report.

Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) is a type of bariatric surgery. Gastric stenosis or obstruction is a known complication of LAGB; however, its occurrence after band removal is extremely rare. A 60-year-old female, who had undergone LAGB 6 years earlier and band removal 4 years prior, presented to the hospital with recurrent vomiting.

Selecting the optimal candidates for percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty using multi-modality imaging.

Aims: This study compared echocardiography (echo) and cardiac computed tomography (CT) in measuring the Wilkins score and evaluated the potential added benefit of CT in predicting immediate percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty (PMV) outcomes in rheumatic mitral stenosis (MS) patients deemed eligible for PMV by echo.

Methods And Results: From a multicentre registry of 3,140 patients with at least moderate MS, we included 96 patients (age 56.4±11.

Efficacy and safety of rebamipide/nizatidine in patients with erosive gastritis: A randomized, multicenter, phase 4 study.

Background: For the treatment of gastritis, rebamipide, a mucoprotective agent, and nizatidine, a gastric acid suppressant, are commonly employed individually.

Aim: To compare the efficacy of Mucotra SR (rebamipide 150 mg) and Axid (nizatidine 150 mg) combination therapy with the sole administration of Axid in managing erosive gastritis.

Methods: A total of 260 patients diagnosed with endoscopically confirmed erosive gastritis were enrolled in this open-label, multicenter, randomized, phase 4 clinical trial, allocating them into two groups: Rebamipide/nizatidine combination twice daily nizatidine twice daily for 2 weeks.

Therapeutic role of aripiprazole in cartilage defects explored through a drug repurposing approach.

Articular cartilage has a limited regenerative capacity, resulting in poor spontaneous healing of damaged tissue. Despite various scientific efforts to enhance cartilage repair, no single method has yielded satisfactory results. With rising drug development costs, drug repositioning has emerged as a viable alternative.

Staged versus immediate complete revascularization for non-culprit arteries in acute myocardial infarction: a post-hoc analysis of FRAME-AMI.

Background And Objectives: The optimal timing for complete revascularization (CR) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and multivessel disease (MVD) remain uncertain.

Methods: This post-hoc analysis of the FRAME-AMI trial included AMI patients with MVD ( = 549). They were classified into immediate ( = 329) and staged CR ( = 220) groups.

Obstructive sleep apnea subtyping based on apnea and hypopnea specific hypoxic burden is associated with brain aging and cardiometabolic syndrome.

Background: Conventional metrics such as the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) may not fully capture the diverse clinical manifestations of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This study aims to establish a novel OSA subtype classification based on the patterns of apneic and hypopneic hypoxic burden (HB), a potential biomarker that more accurately reflects the severity and duration of respiratory events. We further examined the associations of these HB-based subtypes with cardiometabolic risk and brain health outcomes.

Prevalence of high-risk group for obstructive sleep apnea using the STOP-Bang questionnaire and its association with cardiovascular morbidity.

Objectives: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep-related breathing disorder, yet many cases remain undiagnosed. The STOP-Bang questionnaire was developed to identify individuals at high risk of OSA. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of individuals with suspected OSA using the STOP-Bang risk stratification in the general population of South Korea.

Influence of prestroke glycemic status on outcomes by age in patients with acute ischemic stroke and diabetes mellitus.

Background: This study aimed to explore the association between admission HbA1c and the risk of 1-year vascular outcomes stratified by age group in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and diabetes mellitus (DM).

Methods: This study analyzed prospective multicenter data from patients with AIS and DM. Admission HbA1C were categorized as:≤6.

Assessing the impact of apnea duration on the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and hearing loss.

Objectives: The relationship between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and hearing loss (HL) remains uncertain. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between OSA and HL, and to identify which factors play a key role.

Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of 90 subjects diagnosed with OSA.

Hippocampal deep brain stimulation for drug-resistant epilepsy: Insights from bilateral temporal lobe and posterior epilepsy cases.

Purpose: This study evaluates the long-term efficacy of hippocampal deep brain stimulation (Hip-DBS) in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE), specifically focusing on bilateral temporal lobe epilepsy (BTLE) and posterior epilepsy (PE).

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 15 DRE patients (11 BTLE, 4 PE) who underwent bilateral Hip-DBS at Samsung Medical Center over an eight-year period. Medical records, seizure diaries, and neuropsychological assessments were reviewed.

Feasibility and Safety of ArtiSential for Minimally Invasive Surgery in Early-stage Gynecologic Cancer: Results from the KGOG 4002/GYANT Study.

Objectives: The objective is to evaluate the feasibility and safety of ArtiSential for performing minimally invasive surgeries for gynecological cancers.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a prospective observational study at 10 Tertiary Institutional Hospitals in Korea between November 2021 and April 2022. Eligible patients were 18 years or older and planned to undergo minimally invasive surgery for gynecologic cancer.

Prediction of 12-Month Clinical Outcomes Postsurgery Based on 3-Month Knee Examination After Primary Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.

Context: Active management of modifiable factors during the early rehabilitation stage can help patients who have undergone anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction successfully return to sports. This study aimed to determine predictors for performance on the single-leg hop test and Tegner activity score 12-month post-ACL reconstruction, based on knee function assessed 3-month postsurgery.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

White matter hyperintensities and cholinergic degeneration as Lewy body disease.

Objective: Although basal forebrain (BF) cholinergic degeneration and white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) are important in neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), their relationships with dopaminergic degeneration and clinical manifestations remain unclear.

Methods: A total of 407 patients with cognitive impairment meeting the diagnostic criteria for AD, DLB, or both (AD+DLB) were assessed. All participants underwent 3T MRI, dopamine transporter (DAT) positron emission tomography, neuropsychological tests, and assessments for parkinsonism, cognitive fluctuation, visual hallucination, and rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD).

Discontinuation of β-blocker therapy in stabilised patients after acute myocardial infarction (SMART-DECISION): rationale and design of the randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: There is a lack of evidence to support the effectiveness of prolonged β-blocker therapy after stabilisation of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) without heart failure (HF) or left ventricular systolic dysfunction.

Methods And Analysis: The SMart Angioplasty Research Team: DEcision on Medical Therapy in Patients with Coronary Artery DIsease or Structural Heart Disease Undergoing InterventiON (SMART-DECISION) trial is a multicentre, prospective, open-label, randomised, non-inferiority trial designed to determine whether discontinuing β-blocker therapy after ≥1 year of maintenance in stabilised patients after AMI is non-inferior to continuing it. Patients eligible for participation are those without HF or left ventricular systolic dysfunction (ejection fraction >40%) who have been continuing β-blocker therapy for ≥1 year after AMI.

Clinical outcome and complications after simultaneous bilateral medial opening-wedge high tibial osteotomy.

Background: The literature provides limited evidence regarding postoperative outcomes and complications following simultaneous bilateral medial opening-wedge high tibial osteotomy (MOWHTO). This study aimed to investigate the clinical outcomes and complications associated with simultaneous bilateral MOWHTO.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 72 knees from 36 patients (mean age, 58.