Randomized phase II study of capecitabine plus cisplatin with or without sorafenib in patients with metastatic gastric cancer (STARGATE).

Background: In this randomized phase II study, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of sorafenib in combination with capecitabine and cisplatin (XP) as first-line chemotherapy in advanced gastric cancer.

Patients And Methods: Patients with metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma were randomized (1:1) to receive either sorafenib plus XP (S + XP) or XP alone. In cases of disease progression in the XP arm, crossover to sorafenib alone was allowed.

CPR Guidance by an Emergency Physician via Video Call: A Simulation Study.

Background: In South Korea, the prehospital treatment of cardiac arrest is generally led by an emergency medical technician-paramedic (EMT-P), and defibrillation is delivered by the automatic external defibrillator (AED). This study aimed at examining the effects of direct medical guidance by an emergency physician through a video call that enabled prompt manual defibrillation.

Methods: Two-hundred eighty-eight paramedics based in Gyeonggi Province were studied for four months, from July to November 2015.

Refractory ventricular fibrillation treated with esmolol.

Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of esmolol treatment for patients with refractory ventricular fibrillation (RVF) in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).

Methods: This single-centre retrospective pre-post study evaluated patients who were treated between January 2012 and December 2015. Some patients had received esmolol (loading dose: 500μg/kg, infusion: 0-100μg/kg/min) for RVF (≥3 defibrillation attempts), after obtaining consent from the patient's guardian.

Plasma neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin as an early predicting biomarker of acute kidney injury and clinical outcomes after recovery of spontaneous circulation in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients.

Aims: To determine whether the level of plasma neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) can predict acute kidney injury (AKI) and clinical outcomes after recovery of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).

Methods: We conducted a prospective observational study of consecutive admitted patients with ROSC after OHCA between January 2013 and March 2015. Plasma was collected within 4h of ROSC to determine the level of NGAL.

Comparison of two different S-1 plus cisplatin dosing schedules as first-line chemotherapy for metastatic and/or recurrent gastric cancer: a multicenter, randomized phase III trial (SOS).

Background: Five-weekly S-1 plus cisplatin (SP5) is one of the standard first-line regimens for advanced gastric cancer (GC), proven in a Japanese phase III study. To enhance the dose intensity of cisplatin, 3-weekly S-1 plus cisplatin (SP3) was developed.

Patients And Methods: This multicenter, randomized, open-label, phase III study evaluated whether SP3 (S-1 80 mg/m(2)/day on days 1-14 and cisplatin 60 mg/m(2) on day 1) was noninferior/superior to SP5 (S-1 80-120 mg/day on days 1-21 and cisplatin 60 mg/m(2) on day 1 or 8) in terms of progression-free survival (PFS).

Evaluation of the diagnostic performance of fibrin monomer in disseminated intravascular coagulation.

Background: Fibrin-related markers (FRM) such as fibrin monomer (FM) and D-dimer (DD) are considered useful biological markers for the diagnosis of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). However, no studies on the diagnostic performance of different FRMs have been published in Korea. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of FM for DIC in comparison with DD.