A dose-response relationship of renin-angiotensin system blockers and beta-blockers in patients with acute heart failure syndrome: a nationwide prospective cohort study.

Aims: It remains unclear if patients with acute heart failure syndrome (AHFS) need to reach the maximally tolerated doses of renin-angiotensin system blockers (RASBs) or beta-blockers (BBs) to obtain a survival benefit. This study evaluated the dose-response relationship between RASBs or BBs and survival in AHFS patients.

Methods And Results: In total, 5331 patients in the Korean Acute Heart Failure registry were analysed based on the doses of RASBs and BBs at discharge.

Clinical Characteristics and Outcome of Immediate-Release Versus SLOW-Release Carvedilol in Heart Failure Patient (SLOW-HF): a Prospective Randomized, Open-Label, Multicenter Study.

Purpose: Carvedilol demonstrated therapeutic benefits in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). However, it had a short half-life time mandating twice a day administration. We investigated whether slow-release carvedilol (carvedilol-SR) is non-inferior to standard immediate-release carvedilol (carvedilol-IR) in terms of clinical efficacy in patients with HFrEF.

Determinants of left ventricular function improvement for cardiac resynchronization therapy candidates.

Aims: A waiting period of more than 3 months is recommended for patients before undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). However, due to an anticipated high mortality rate, early implementation of CRT might be beneficial for some patients. We aimed to evaluate the rate and the probability of left ventricular (LV) function improvement and their predictors in patients with heart failure (HF) with indications for CRT.

Negative life stress, sleep disturbance, and depressive symptoms: The moderating role of anterior insula activity in response to sleep-related stimuli.

Background: This study investigated the effects of anterior insula (AI) activation on the association between stress and sleep disturbance as a neurobiological basis of the trait-like degree of sleep reactivity to stress. Additionally, it examined the effects of AI activity on the association between sleep disturbance and depression.

Methods: The participants were 48 adults.

Early Postoperative Pneumothorax Might Not Be 'True' Recurrence.

Objectives: To date, there is no consensual definition of what constitutes a postoperative recurrence of primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP), despite there being many studies reporting a high incidence of recurrence. This study aims to describe the long-term recurrence rates of pneumothorax and to suggest a possible way to differentiate recurrence events based on temporal patterns.

Methods: This single-center study retrospectively evaluated all postoperative recurrence of PSP from January 2007 to May 2019.

Laminectomy with instrumented fusion vs. laminoplasty in the surgical treatment of cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament: A multicenter retrospective study.

Laminectomy with instrumented fusion (LF) has demonstrated better prevention of ossification of posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) growth compared to laminoplasty (LP). There remains uncertainty, however, as to which surgical approach is more beneficial with respect to clinical outcomes and complications. We retrospectively reviewed 273 cervical OPLL patients of more than 3 levels, from the two institutions' databases, who underwent LF or LP between January 1998 and January 2016.

The effect of leucocyte concentration of platelet-rich plasma on outcomes in patients with lateral epicondylitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Hypothesis: The concentration of leukocytes influences the quality of platelet-rich plasma (PRP). However, there is no consensus on which type of PRP based on the concentration of leukocytes is the best for lateral epicondylitis (LE).

Methods: We systematically searched the MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases until March 1, 2020.

Association of frailty with regional sagittal spinal alignment in the elderly.

The degenerative changes in the spine of the frail elderly gradually exacerbate the alignment of the spine as the degeneration progresses. This study was conducted to assess the relationship between frailty and spine sagittal alignment measured in terms of global, cervical, thoracic, and lumbo-pelvic parameters. In total, 101 patients aged 75 years and older hospitalized for spine surgery were prospectively enrolled.

Evaluation of Adherence to Guideline for Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction in Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction and with or without Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: This study evaluated the relationship between guideline adherence for heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) at discharge and relevant clinical outcomes in patients with acute HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) with or without atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods: We analyzed Korean Acute Heart Failure Registry data for 707 patients with HFpEF with documented AF and 687 without AF. Guideline adherence was defined as good or poor according to the prescription of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, β-blockers, and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists.

Comparative Analysis of Relaxation Time Interval and Integrated Relaxation Pressure as Risk Factors for Aspiration in Patients With Oropharyngeal Dysphagia.

Background/aims: Integrated relaxation pressure (IRP) is an important metric for functional evaluation of the lower esophageal sphincter. However, the effectiveness of IRP for evaluation of upper esophageal sphincter (UES) function has not yet been clarified.

Methods: High-resolution manometry (HRM) was performed in 180 patients with dysphagia.

Impact of insulin therapy on the mortality of acute heart failure patients with diabetes mellitus.

Background: Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) have a higher prevalence of heart failure (HF) than those without it. Approximately 40 % of HF patients have DM and they tend to have poorer outcomes than those without DM. This study evaluated the impact of insulin therapy on mortality among acute HF patients.

Neural correlates of emotional reactivity and regulation in traumatized North Korean refugees.

Refugees often report heightened emotional reactivity and emotion regulation difficulties and are at high risk for mental health problems. Given that refugees are repeatedly exposed to traumatic events that may cause changes in the brain, the present study examined neural correlates of emotional reactivity and regulation and their associations with refugee features (e.g.

Nightmares and alexithymia in traumatized North Korean refugees.

Background: The present study examined the association between nightmare distress and alexithymia in traumatized North Korean (NK) refugees resettled in South Korea and the effects of clinical or subclinical psychiatric symptoms on this association.

Methods: Thirty-eight NK refugees living in South Korea who had traumatic experiences (15 males, 23 females; 29.50 ± 13.

High BMI1 Expression with Low CD8+ and CD4+ T Cell Activity Could Promote Breast Cancer Cell Survival: A Machine Learning Approach.

BMI1 is known to play a key role in the regulation of stem cell self-renewal in both endogenous and cancer stem cells. High BMI1 expression has been associated with poor prognosis in a variety of human tumors. The aim of this study was to reveal the correlations of BMI1 with survival rates, genetic alterations, and immune activities, and to validate the results using machine learning.

Knot-Tying versus Knotless Suture Anchors for Arthroscopic Bankart Repair: A Comparative Study.

Purpose: This study aimed to compare the results of using knotless and knot-tying suture anchors in arthroscopic Bankart repair.

Materials And Methods: The patients who underwent arthroscopic Bankart repair between 2011 and 2017 using knot-tying and knotless suture anchors were retrospectively reviewed. We collected demographic data, clinical scores (pain visual analogue scale), functional visual analogue scale, American Shoulder and Elbow Society scores, and Rowe score), and range of motion (ROM).

Predicting survival in heart failure: a risk score based on machine-learning and change point algorithm.

Objective: Machine learning (ML) algorithm can improve risk prediction because ML can select features and segment continuous variables effectively unbiased. We generated a risk score model for mortality with ML algorithms in East-Asian patients with heart failure (HF).

Methods: From the Korean Acute Heart Failure (KorAHF) registry, we used the data of 3683 patients with 27 continuous and 44 categorical variables.

Efficacy and safety of blinatumomab: Post hoc pooled analysis in Asian adults with relapsed/refractory B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Background: Global studies have demonstrated the efficacy and safety of blinatumomab-a BiTE (bispecific T-cell engager) targeted immuno-oncology therapy that mediates the lysis of cells expressing CD19 in patients with relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (R/R ALL). Because limited data are available in Asian patients, we conducted a post hoc pooled analysis in 45 Asian adult patients with R/R ALL-19 from the blinatumomab arm of TOWER (NCT02013167) and 26 from Study 265, a phase 1b/2 study in Japanese adults (NCT02412306).

Methods: Patients received a maximum of two cycles of induction blinatumomab for 4 weeks by continuous intravenous infusion (cycle 1/week 1: 9 μg/day; cycle 1/weeks 2-4: 28 μg/day) followed by 2 weeks of no blinatumomab (each 6-week cycle); patients received 28 μg/day blinatumomab in subsequent cycles.

Polysomnographic Sleep and Attentional Deficits in Traumatized North Korean Refugees.

Introduction: Attentional deficits and sleep problems are common in refugees who have experienced trauma. In the present study, we used polysomnography (PSG) to investigate the relationship between attentional deficits and objective measures of sleep structure in traumatized North Korean refugees.

Methods: We recruited 32 North Korean refugees (mean age = 33.

Outcomes of emergency endovascular open repair for abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture.

Purpose: Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (rAAA) is one of the most common aortic emergencies in vascular surgery and is associated with high operative mortality and morbidity rates despite recent treatment advances. We evaluated operative mortality risks for the outcomes of emergency endovascular aneurysm repair (eEVAR) open repair in rAAA.

Methods: Twenty patients underwent eEVAR (n = 12) or open repair (n = 8) for rAAA between 2016 and 2020.

The diagnostic and prognostic values of inflammatory markers in intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm.

Background: Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) is an broad-spectrum disease from benign to malignant. Inflammatory markers are known as prognostic predictors in various diseases. The purpose of this study was to determine the predictive value of inflammatory markers for prognosis in IPMN.

Association between ischemic stroke and seropositive rheumatoid arthritis in Korea: A nationwide longitudinal cohort study.

The purpose of this longitudinal follow-up study was to investigate the risk of ischemic stroke nationwide in patients with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and controls who were matched in age and sex. Patient data were collected from the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) Health Screening (HEALS) cohort. Using the International Classification of Diseases code M05 (seropositive RA), with a prescription of any disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD), RA was identified.