Strategical Preparedness and Response Actions in the Healthcare System Against Coronavirus Disease 2019 according to Transmission Scenario in Korea.

The dynamic nature of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic requires us to be efficient and flexible in resource utilization. The strategical preparedness and response actions of the healthcare system are the key component to contain COVID-19 and to decrease its case fatality ratio. Depending on the epidemiological situation, each medical institution should systematically share the responsibility for patient screening, disposition and treatment according to clinical severity.

Oncological outcome according to attainment of pentafecta after robot-assisted radical cystectomy in patients with bladder cancer included in the multicentre KORARC database.

Objectives: To investigate the oncological significance of a robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC)-related pentafecta in patients with bladder cancer.

Patients And Methods: Using the KORARC database, which includes data from 12 centres, data from 730 patients who underwent RARC between April 2007 and May 2019 were prospectively collected and retrospectively analysed. Pentafecta was achieved if patients met all of the following criteria: (i) negative soft tissue surgical margin; (ii) ≥16 lymph nodes removed; (iii) no major complications (Clavien-Dindo grade 3-5) within 90 days; (iv) no clinical recurrence within the first 12 months; and (v) no ureteroenteric stricture.

Patients' perception about opioids and addiction in South Korea.

Background: Chronic pain affects approximately 22% of the world's population. Opioids can be useful in chronic pain management. However, some patients have negative perception of opioids.

Seroprevalence of Neutralizing Antibodies against Japanese Encephalitis Virus among Adolescents and Adults in Korea: A Prospective Multicenter Study.

The immunization schedule for the Japanese encephalitis (JE) vaccine in Korea is a two-dose primary series at 12-24 months of age, followed by booster doses 12 months after the second dose and at the ages of 6 and 12 years. Although the number of JE cases has markedly decreased after the universal vaccination program, JE predominantly occurs in adults. The aim of this study was to assess the age-specific prevalence of the JE-neutralizing antibody (NTAb) among adolescents and adults in Korea.

Bone health in neuromyelitis optica: Bone mineral density and fractures.

Background: The bone health in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder with aquaporin-4 immunoglobulin G antibodies (NMOSD-AQP4) have not been fully evaluated. To evaluate the prevalence of fractures and bone loss in patients with NMOSD-AQP4 compared to healthy controls and patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and to identify the risk factors associated with fractures and low bone mineral density (BMD) in patients with NMOSD-AQP4.

Methods: Seventy-one patients with NMOSD-AQP4 were included.

Relationship between neuropilin-1 expression and prognosis, according to gastric cancer histology.

Neuropilin-1 (NRP-1) is known to be related to various types of cancer and is considered a novel tumor marker or therapeutic target. The aim of this study was to identify the clinical implications of NRP-1 expression in terms of prognosis in patients with gastric cancer. A total of 265 patients who underwent radical gastrectomy for the treatment of gastric cancer from 2008 to 2011 were included in this retrospective study.

miRNAs as potential biomarkers for the progression of gastric cancer inhibit CREBZF and regulate migration of gastric adenocarcinoma cells.

In our previous study, we identified three miRNAs (hsa-miR-421, hsa-miR-29b-1-5p, and hsa-miR-27b-5p) with two mRNAs (FBXO11 and CREBZF) that might play an important role in the development of gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC) from premalignant adenomas. However, the expression and function of these miRNAs have not been not well characterized. We investigated the roles of CREBZF and miRNAs as potential biomarkers for the progression of gastric cancer (GC) in low-/high-grade dysplasia and early gastric cancer patients using immunohistochemical staining and miRNA hybridization.

Current status of pain medicine training in anesthesiology and pain medicine residency programs in university hospitals of Korea: a survey of residents' opinions.

Background: In Korea, anesthesiologists are expected to be mainstream pain medicine (PM) practitioners. However, anesthesiology and pain medicine (APM) residency programs mostly emphasize anesthesia learning, leading to insufficient PM learning. Therefore, this study evaluated the current status of PM training in APM residency programs in 10 Korean university hospitals.

KMBARC registry: protocol for a multicentre observational cohort study on non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis in Korea.

Introduction: Despite the significant disease burden of bronchiectasis in Korea, no large-scale, representative prospective cohort studies have been conducted to evaluate the clinical characteristics of Korean patients with bronchiectasis, indicating an urgent need for cohort studies on bronchiectasis.

Methods And Analysis: The Korean Multicenter Bronchiectasis Audit and Research Collaboration (KMBARC) is a prospective, non-interventional observational cohort study on bronchiectasis in Korea. The inclusion criteria of this registry are as follows: (1) adult patients (aged ≥18 years) with or without respiratory symptoms (cough, chronic sputum and/or recurrent respiratory infection) and chest computed tomography revealing bronchiectasis affecting one or more lobes and (2) stable status at the time of registration: patients with bronchiectasis who were admitted for a respiratory aetiology can be enrolled at least 4 weeks after hospital discharge.

Clinical Characteristics of Chronic Cough in Korea.

Background: Chronic cough is defined as a cough lasting more than 8 weeks and socio-economic burden of chronic cough is enormous. The characteristics of chronic cough in Korea are not well understood. The Korean Academy of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases (KATRD) published guidelines on cough management in 2014.

HL301 versus Umckamin in the treatment of acute bronchitis: a phase III, randomized, controlled, double-blind, multicenter study.

HL301 is a combination product of seven medicinal plants that has been proven effective in acute bronchitis by two phase II studies. In the present study, its efficacy and safety compared with those of Umckamin in the treatment of acute bronchitis were evaluated in phase III, randomized, controlled, double-blind, multicenter trial design. A total of 246 acute bronchitis patients were randomized to receive either HL301 (600 mg/day) or Umckamin (333 mg/day) for seven days.

Ezetimibe and Rosuvastatin Combination Treatment Can Reduce the Dose of Rosuvastatin Without Compromising Its Lipid-lowering Efficacy.

Purpose: The goal of this study was to compare the lipid-lowering efficacy of the combination of ezetimibe and low- or intermediate-intensity statin therapy versus that of high-intensity statin monotherapy.

Methods: This study is a post hoc analysis of an 8-week, randomized, double-blind, Phase III trial. Patients who had hypercholesterolemia and required lipid-lowering treatment were randomly assigned to 1 of 6 treatment groups: rosuvastatin 5 mg (R5, n = 68), rosuvastatin 10 mg (R10, n = 67), rosuvastatin 20 mg (R20, n = 69), and ezetimibe 10 mg combined with rosuvastatin 5 mg (R5 + E10, n = 67), rosuvastatin 10 mg (R10 + E10, n = 68), and rosuvastatin 20 mg (R20 + E10, n = 68) daily.

Inhaled Corticosteroids in Asthma and the Risk of Pneumonia.

Purpose: Asthma is a common disease that is expensive and burdensome for patients. Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are the most important drugs for asthma treatment and are often prescribed long-term. However, the use of ICS has been reported to increase pneumonia, though this remains controversial.

Relationship between Mammographic Density and Age in the United Arab Emirates Population.

Objective: Higher breast density is a strong, independent risk factor for breast cancer. Breast density varies by age, ethnicity, and geographic area although dense breast tissue has been associated with younger age and premenopausal status. The relationship between breast density and age in women in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has not been determined.

Safety of esophagogastroduodenoscopy-guided forceps biopsy and the feasibility of esophagogastroduodenoscopy for evaluation of hypopharyngeal cancer.

Background: There is currently no established standard tissue sampling method for hypopharyngeal cancer. The present study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) for the pretreatment evaluation of hypopharyngeal cancer and the safety of EGD-guided forceps biopsy.

Methods: We reviewed nine patients with hypopharyngeal cancer who underwent EGD for the evaluation of tumor extent and tissue biopsy from March 2014 to March 2017 at International St.

Validity and reliability of itch assessment scales for chronic pruritus in adults: A prospective multicenter study.

Background: Several tools can provide a reliable and accurate evaluation of pruritus, including the visual analog scale (VAS), numeric rating scale (NRS), verbal rating scale (VRS), and multidimensional questionnaires such as the Itch Severity Scale (ISS). However, no single method is considered a gold standard.

Objective: We evaluated the validity and reliability of VAS, NRS, VRS, and ISS and their correlation with a pruritus-specific quality of life instrument, ItchyQoL.

Efficacy and Safety of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Patients Treated with Statins for Residual Hypertriglyceridemia: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial.

Background: Cardiovascular risk remains increased despite optimal low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level induced by intensive statin therapy. Therefore, recent guidelines recommend non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) as a secondary target for preventing cardiovascular events. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and tolerability of omega-3 fatty acids (OM3-FAs) in combination with atorvastatin compared to atorvastatin alone in patients with mixed dyslipidemia.

Healthcare Utilization and Treatment Patterns in Diabetic Macular Edema in Korea: a Retrospective Chart Review.

Background: Limited data exist on real-world treatment patterns for diabetic macular edema (DME) in Korea. In this study, we investigated DME treatment patterns from 2009 to 2014 and the impact of baseline treatment on healthcare resource utilization and visual acuity (VA) outcomes.

Methods: A retrospective cohort chart review of DME patients treated at 11 hospital ophthalmology clinics between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2013 was conducted.

Characteristics of inappropriate multiple medication use in older urological outpatients.

Objectives: To investigate polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) in elderly patients visiting the urology department for lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed digital medical records of individuals over the age of 65 who visited the urology department for LUTS. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 10 hospitals located in South Korea, between September 2017 and December 2017.

Correction to: Effect of training on ultrasonography (US) BI-RADS features for radiology residents: a multicenter study comparing performances after training.

The original version of this article, published on 07 January 2019, unfortunately contained a mistake.

Development and validation of the COugh Assessment Test (COAT).

Background And Objective: A cough-specific quality-of-life questionnaire is recommended to assess the impact of cough; however, a simple instrument to quantify cough is required for everyday clinical practice. This study was aimed to develop a short patient-completed questionnaire (COugh Assessment Test, COAT).

Methods: The COAT was developed and validated by comparison with the Korean version of Leicester Cough Questionnaire (K-LCQ) and cough numeric rating scale (NRS, 0-10, 11-point scale) for chronic cough patients.

Effect of training on ultrasonography (US) BI-RADS features for radiology residents: a multicenter study comparing performances after training.

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of training radiology residents on breast ultrasonography (US) according to the Breast Imaging Reporting And Data System (BI-RADS) and the factors that influence the training effect.

Methods: This multicenter, prospective study was approved by eight institutional review boards. From September 2013 to July 2014, 248 breast masses in 227 women were included for US image acquisition.