Microfracture Versus a Porcine-Derived Collagen-Augmented Chondrogenesis Technique for Treating Knee Cartilage Defects: Results at Midterm Follow-up.

Background: Damaged cartilage can be treated using the creation of microfractures (MFxs) or the porcine-derived collagen-augmented chondrogenesis technique (C-ACT).

Purpose: To provide the midterm results of a multicenter randomized controlled trial comparing MFx and C-ACT for knee cartilage defects.

Study Design: Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1.

Reliability of ChatGPT for performing triage task in the emergency department using the Korean Triage and Acuity Scale.

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) technology can enable more efficient decision-making in healthcare settings. There is a growing interest in improving the speed and accuracy of AI systems in providing responses for given tasks in healthcare settings.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the reliability of ChatGPT in determining emergency department (ED) triage accuracy using the Korean Triage and Acuity Scale (KTAS).

Early extrahepatic recurrence as a pivotal factor for survival after hepatocellular carcinoma resection: A 15-year observational study.

Background: Surgical resection is one of the most widely used modalities for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Early extrahepatic recurrence (EHR) of HCC after surgical resection is considered to be closely associated with poor prognosis. However, data regarding risk factors and survival outcomes of early EHR after surgical resection remain scarce.

Obstructive sleep apnea risk and hearing impairment among occupational noise-exposed male workers.

This study aimed to investigate the association between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) risk and hearing impairment among workers exposed to occupational noise. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 607 healthy male workers at a tire-manufacturing factory. The subjects underwent audiometric testing, and their OSA risk was examined based on the STOP-Bang questionnaire.

Changes in the Health Indicators of Hospital Medical Residents During the Four-Year Training Period in Korea.

Background: In South Korea, the legal maximum working hours per week for medical residents is 88 hours, which are longer than those for other occupations, and the intensity of the workload is also remarkably high. Long working hours and job-related stress can worsen the health status of residents. This study aimed to analyze the four-year annual health checkup (AHC) data of residents to identify changes in their health indicators.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Chemical-Mass Casualty Incident Response Education Module (C-MCIREM): A Pilot Simulation Study With a Before and After Design.

Background With the occurrence of a number of major disasters around the world, there is growing interest in chemical disaster medicine. In South Korea, there is a training program for mass casualty incidents (MCI) and backup by legal regulations by the Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety. However, there is no program focusing on chemical disasters.

Simple parameters predicting extrahepatic recurrence after curative hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Extrahepatic recurrence (EHR) after curative hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is associated with a poor prognosis. We investigated the features of EHR and identified its predictive factors. This retrospective study included 398 treatment-naive patients who underwent curative hepatectomy for HCC at two tertiary hospitals.

Lessons learned from reviewing a hospital's disaster response to the hydrofluoric acid leak in Gumi city in 2012.

Background: This study analyzed the characteristics of hydrogen fluoride-exposed patients (HFEPs) treated in the emergency department (ED) of a local university hospital, and reviewed the hospital's disaster response according to space, staff, supplies, and systems (4Ss).

Methods: This retrospective observational chart review and descriptive study included 199 HFEPs among 2588 total ED patients who visited a local university emergency medical center for treatment between September 27, 2012 and October 20, 2012, following a hydrofluoric acid leak at the Hube Globe factory in Gumi City, Republic of Korea. Descriptive results concerning the 4Ss were obtained by interviewing ED specialist staff physicians on duty during the study period.

Endoscopic repair of delayed stomach perforation caused by penetrating trauma: A case report.

Background: Primary endoscopic closure of a perforated gastric wall during endoscopic procedures is mostly effective and well-tolerated; however, there are very few studies on the efficacy of endoscopic management of delayed traumatic gastric perforation. Herein, we report a novel case of a patient who was successfully treated for delayed traumatic stomach perforation using an alternative endoscopic modality.

Case Summary: A 39-year-old woman presented with multiple penetrating traumas in the back and left abdominal cavity.

Features of extrahepatic metastasis after radiofrequency ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Extrahepatic metastasis (EHM) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is associated with poor outcomes. However, the clinical features and risk factors of EHM of HCC after radiofrequency ablation (RFA) remain unclear.

Aim: To elucidate the characteristics and risk factors of EHM after RFA for HCC.

Necrotizing tracheobronchitis causing airway obstruction complicated by pandemic 2009 H1N1 influenza: A case report.

Rationale: Influenza is an infection caused by the influenza virus, and its symptoms are mostly mild and self-limiting. However, influenza can cause severe or fatal complications in high-risk patients. Although tracheobronchitis is one of the common complications of influenza, necrotizing tracheobronchitis is very rare.

Shoulder Joint Infections with Negative Culture Results: Clinical Characteristics and Treatment Outcomes.

Background: The incidence of septic arthritis of the shoulder joint is increasing as the population ages. The prevalence of shoulder infection is also increasing because of the growing use of arthroscopy and expansion of procedures in the shoulder. However, cultures do not always identify all microorganisms, even in symptomatic patients.

Sofosbuvir plus ribavirin for the treatment of hepatitis C virus genotype 2 in Korea: What's the optimal dosage of ribavirin in real-world setting?

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of sofosbuvir plus ribavirin for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 2 infection and to determine the optimal ribavirin dosage.

Methods: From May 2016 to March 2017, 199 patients received sofosbuvir plus ribavirin treatment for HCV genotype 2 infection at four centers in Jeollanam-do Province, Korea. After excluding patients lost to follow-up and those with insufficient data, we retrospectively assessed the data for 194 patients.

Pseudoaneurysm Formation due to Popliteal Artery Injury Caused by Drilling during Medial Opening Wedge High Tibial Osteotomy.

We report a case of 53-year-old woman with an injured popliteal artery due to excessive drilling with a drill bit during medial opening wedge high tibial osteotomy (MOWHTO). Pseudoaneurysm was diagnosed three days after surgery and confirmed by urgent computed tomography (CT) angiography. Open vascular surgery with resection of the perivascular hematoma and end-to-end anastomosis using ipsilateral saphenous vein interposition graft was performed.

Effects of dynamic neural mobilization on cerebral cortical activity in patients with stroke.

[Purpose] The current study aimed to identify the effects of dynamic neural mobilization on cerebral cortical activity in patients with stroke, and to present efficient intervention methods for stroke management. [Subjects and Methods] A total of 20 hemiplegic patients diagnosed with stroke over the past 6 months were sampled, and randomly divided into groups I (n=10) and II (n=10). Groups I and II underwent neural mobilization and dynamic neural mobilization, respectively, on the paralyzed arm.

Predictive Value of Procalcitonin for Bacterial Infection after Transarterial Chemoembolization or Radiofrequency Ablation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

This prospective observational study aimed at investigating the role of procalcitonin (PCT) in diagnosing bacterial infection and guiding antibiotic therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with fever after transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and/or radiofrequency ablation (RFA). Ninety-seven cases (84 patients) were enrolled. Serum PCT, C-reactive protein (CRP), and white blood cell (WBC) counts were measured on the day of fever onset (day 0) and days 1, 3, 5, and 7 of fever.

Performance on the APACHE II, SAPS II, SOFA and the OHCA score of post-cardiac arrest patients treated with therapeutic hypothermia.

Objective: This study assessed the ability of the Acute Physiologic and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score, Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) score to predict the outcome of OHCA patients who underwent therapeutic hypothermia (TH).

Methods: This study included OHCA patients treated with TH between January 2010 and December 2013. The APACHE II score, SAPS II, and SOFA score were calculated at the time of admission and 24 h and 48 h after intensive care unit admission.

Restoration of common bile duct diameter within 2 weeks after endoscopic stone retraction is a preventive factor for stone recurrence.

Background: Little information is available about the relationship between restoration of common bile duct (CBD) diameter after endoscopic stone retraction and recurrence of CBD stones in elderly patients. The present study was to determine whether restoration of CBD diameter is a preventive factor for CBD stone recurrence in elderly patients who underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).

Methods: From January 2006 to December 2010, 238 patients underwent the first and the second session of ERCP for the removal of CBD stones.

Pulmonary thromboembolectomy for acute pulmonary thromboembolism.

Background: Acute pulmonary thromboembolism is fatal because of abruptly occurring hypoxemia and right ventricular failure. There are several treatment modalities, including anticoagulation, thrombolytics, ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenator), and thromboembolectomy, for managing acute pulmonary thromboembolism.

Materials And Methods: Medical records from January 1999 to December 2004 at our institution were retrospectively reviewed for pulmonary thromboembolectomy.

Huge Psoas Muscle Hematoma due to Lumbar Segmental Vessel Injury Following Percutaneous Endoscopic Lumbar Discectomy.

We present a case of an acute psoas muscle hematoma following percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy. A 60-year-old female who presented with far lateral lumbar disc herniation underwent endoscopic discectomy on the right side at the L4-5 level. On the second postoperative day, the patient complained of severe right flank and leg pain and her blood pressure decreased.

Endoscopic transforaminal suprapedicular approach in high grade inferior migrated lumbar disc herniation.

Objective: Although endoscopic procedures for lumbar disc diseases have improved greatly, the postoperative outcomes for high grade inferior migrated discs are not satisfactory. Because of anatomic limitations, a rigid endoscope cannot reach all lesions effectively. The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of endoscopic transforaminal suprapedicular approach to high grade inferior-migrated lumbar disc herniations.

Traumatic Pseudoaneurysm of the Superficial Temporal Artery Diagnosed by 3-dimensional CT Angiography.

Pseudoaneurysm arising from the superficial temporal artery (STA) is a rare and potentially critical cause of palpable mass. Most pseudoaneurysms form as a result of blunt trauma and present as painless, pulsatile mass that may be associated with pathologic finding and enlarged size. We report a rare case of pseudoaneurysm arising from STA caused by blunt injury and diagnosed by 3-dimensional computed tomography (CT) angiography.