Important ultrasonography and CT findings and prognostic factors of incidentally detected gallbladder cancer.

Aims: To evaluate important imaging findings and prognostic factors of incidentally detected gallbladder cancer (IDGC). Materials and methods: Patients with surgically proven IDGC (n=85) and benign GB diseases (n=100) were retrospectively enrolled. All patients had preoperative CT and eighty-two patients had US images.

Ultrasonic Sensor-based Water Leveling for Three-dimensional Water Phantom: Prototype Development.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to develop a prototype for controlling the water level of a three-dimensional (3D) water phantom using ultrasound sensors and Arduino technology and evaluate its performance in setting up the 3D water phantom for radiation beam measurements.

Materials And Methods: A prototype consisted of an Arduino Nano board and two types of ultrasound sensors (US015 and SR04). The accuracy of both sensors was tested at various distances and the performance was evaluated through statistical analysis.

Comparison of 6-Month and Prolonged Dual Antiplatelet Therapy after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with Biodegradable Polymer Everolimus-Eluting Stent.

Background: The optimal duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after biodegradable-polymer (BP) everolimus-eluting stent (EES) implantation remains uncertain.

Methods: This study analyzed 793 patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with BP-EES in 10 cardiovascular centers in Korea between July 2016 and January 2018. Using the prescription data at 6 months post-PCI, we divided these patients into two groups, namely, short-DAPT and prolonged-DAPT groups, which underwent DAPT for 6 and > 6 months of PCI, respectively.

The relationship between air pollutant levels and aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Background: The relationship between air pollutants, including fine particles (particulate matter [PM] < 10 μm and < 2.5 μm), and aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) has been inadequately studied, and the results remain inconclusive. In this study, we attempted to investigate the relationship between air pollutant levels and aneurysmal SAH.

Clinical Outcomes and Effectiveness of Heart Transplantation in Patients With Systemic Light-chain Cardiac Amyloidosis.

Background: In systemic light-chain (AL) amyloidosis, cardiac involvement is a major determinant of survival; however, cardiac response is limited even after systemic treatment in a majority of patients, and some require heart transplantation. Additionally, limited information is available on specific indications for heart transplantation. We aimed to explore clinical outcomes of cardiac amyloidosis and its association with heart transplantation, including identifying factors favoring heart transplantation amenability.

Relationship between Dietary Habits and Control of Lipid Profiles in Patients with Dyslipidemia Using Pravastatin.

We investigated the association between dietary habits, evaluated using the modified Mini Dietary Assessment Index for Koreans (MDA), and lipid control among patients aged ≥20 years who had used pravastatin for dyslipidemia for 6 months. Participants were administered questionnaires regarding sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle factors. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the control of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglyceride (TG), and total cholesterol (TC) at 6 months for each category of the modified MDA items were calculated through multivariate logistic regression analysis.

Clinical course of patients with renal cell carcinoma or urothelial carcinoma who had stable disease as an initial response to a PD-1 or PD-L1 inhibitor.

Background: About 17%-34% of patients with non-prostatic genitourinary (GU) cancer had stable disease (SD) as their best response to programmed cell death protein 1/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) inhibitors. However, most efficacy studies of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors are focused on the response and its durability. Little is known about patients' clinical outcomes with SD as their initial response to PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors.

Optimizing hospital distribution across districts to reduce tuberculosis fatalities.

The spatial distributions of diverse facilities are often understood in terms of the optimization of the commute distance or the economic profit. Incorporating more general objective functions into such optimization framework may be useful, helping the policy decisions to meet various social and economic demands. As an example, we consider how hospitals should be distributed to minimize the total fatalities of tuberculosis (TB).

COMPARING OUTCOMES OF THE ANKLE ARTHRODESIS BY USING TWO DIFFERENT MATERIALS VIA A TRANSFIBULAR APPROACH.

Objective: To compare clinical and radiologic results and complications of patients who underwent arthrodesis using a transfibular approach with either a cannulated screw or an anterior fusion plate.

Methods: Patients who underwent ankle arthrodesis were divided into two groups according to the used materials: 6.5 mm cannulated screw (A) and anterior fusion plate (B).

Current Long-Term Pharmacotherapies for the Management of Obesity.

Obesity is a serious and growing worldwide health challenge associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis, some cancers, sleep apnea, asthma, and nonalcoholic fatty liver. The Korean Society for the Study of Obesity recommends that pharmacotherapy should be considered when intensive lifestyle modifications fail to achieve a weight reduction in obese patients with a body mass index ≥25 kg/m. Long-term medications for obesity have traditionally fallen into two major categories: centrally acting anorexiant medications and peripherally acting medications, such as orlistat.

A Proposal for Botulinum Toxin Type A Injection Into the Temporal Region in Chronic Migraine Headache.

Botulinum toxin type-A (BTX-A) injection for treating chronic migraine (CM) has developed into a new technique covering distinct injection points in the head and neck regions. The postulated analgesic mechanism implies that the injection should be administered to sensory nerves rather than to muscles. This study aimed to determine the topographical site of the auriculotemporal nerve (ATN) and to propose the effective injection points for treating CM.

Remifentanil does not inhibit sugammadex reversal after rocuronium-induced neuromuscular block in the isolated hemidiaphragm of the rat: an ex vivo study.

Purpose: Sugammadex is used to reverse neuromuscular block induced by rocuronium or vecuronium by forming a stable complex. If the binding capacity of any substance to sugammadex is large enough, this molecule will displace rocuronium or vecuronium from the complex. For drugs used in anesthesia, the binding affinity of remifentanil for sugammadex was highest.

A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Ambu AuraGain and i-gel in Young Pediatric Patients.

Supraglottic airway devices have been increasingly used because of their several advantages. Previous studies showed that the small-sized i-gel provides effective ventilation for young pediatric patients; however, few studies have reported the use of AuraGain in these patients. Herein, we compared the clinical performance of AuraGain and i-gel in young pediatric patients aged between 6 months and 6 years old and weighing 5-20 kg, who were scheduled to undergo extremity surgery under general anesthesia.

Incidence and costs of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia in the Korean population.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the incidence rate of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and cervical cancer, and their costs according to age.

Methods: We collected data on annual incidence and medical costs of CIN and cervical cancer from 2010 until the end of 2014 from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment (HIRA) service. The CIN was classified into CIN3 (high-grade) requiring conization and CIN1/2 (low-grade) requiring observation.

Ultrasound-guided needle biopsy of large thyroid nodules: Core needle biopsy yields more reliable results than fine needle aspiration.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to compare the false negative rate, sensitivity and false positive rate of ultrasound (US)-guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) with those of US-guided core needle biopsy (CNB) for large thyroid nodules ≥2.0 cm, which reportedly have an increased risk of thyroid malignancy.

Methods: We retrospectively studied surgically confirmed thyroid nodules that had preoperative US-guided FNA or CNB between March 2005 and December 2013.

A Case Report of Recurrent Metastatic Sebaceous Carcinoma Which Showed Favorable Response Tt Non-Fluorouracil Based Chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND Sebaceous carcinoma is a rare malignant tumor of the skin adnexa. While surgical resection is a treatment of choice in localized disease, frequent recurrence and distant metastasis make treatment difficult. Moreover, due to its rarity, optimal systemic treatment has not been determined.

Pharmacological target therapy of neuropathic pain and patient-reported outcomes in patients with chronic low back pain in Korea: Results from the NLBP Outcomes Research.

A number of studies have demonstrated an association of neuropathic pain and chronic low back pain (CLBP), but the outcome difference in each medical management is poorly understood. This study is aimed to investigate treatment patterns of neuropathic pain in CLBP patients and to explore patient-reported outcomes (PROs) including quality of life (QoL) and functional disability by treatment patterns.Data were extracted from the neuropathic low back pain (NLBP) outcomes research.

Prevalence of Neuropathic Pain and Patient-Reported Outcomes in Korean Adults with Chronic Low Back Pain Resulting from Neuropathic Low Back Pain.

Study Design: A noninterventional, multicenter, cross-sectional study.

Purpose: We investigated the prevalence of neuropathic pain (NP) and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) of the quality of life (QoL) and functional disability in Korean adults with chronic low back pain (CLBP).

Overview Of Literature: Among patients with CLBP, 20%-55% had NP.

Primary synovial chondromatosis of the talonavicular joint: A case report.

Synovial chondromatosis developes by metaplasia of the synovial cells in the synovium of joints, and is a benign synovial tumor with multiple cartilaginous nodules. It is most commonly found in single and large joints, such as the knee, hip, and shoulder. Occurrence in the foot and ankle is uncommon, although there have been previous reports in the orthopedic and radiological literature of primary synovial chondromatosis in the subtalr, calcaneocuboid, naviculocuneiform, and metatarsaophalangeal joints.