Selecting the optimal candidates for percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty using multi-modality imaging.

Aims: This study compared echocardiography (echo) and cardiac computed tomography (CT) in measuring the Wilkins score and evaluated the potential added benefit of CT in predicting immediate percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty (PMV) outcomes in rheumatic mitral stenosis (MS) patients deemed eligible for PMV by echo.

Methods And Results: From a multicentre registry of 3,140 patients with at least moderate MS, we included 96 patients (age 56.4±11.

Efficacy and safety of rebamipide/nizatidine in patients with erosive gastritis: A randomized, multicenter, phase 4 study.

Background: For the treatment of gastritis, rebamipide, a mucoprotective agent, and nizatidine, a gastric acid suppressant, are commonly employed individually.

Aim: To compare the efficacy of Mucotra SR (rebamipide 150 mg) and Axid (nizatidine 150 mg) combination therapy with the sole administration of Axid in managing erosive gastritis.

Methods: A total of 260 patients diagnosed with endoscopically confirmed erosive gastritis were enrolled in this open-label, multicenter, randomized, phase 4 clinical trial, allocating them into two groups: Rebamipide/nizatidine combination twice daily nizatidine twice daily for 2 weeks.

Feasibility of Distal Radial Access in High Bleeding Risk Patients Who Underwent Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Backgrounds And Objectives: The distal radial access (DRA), a potential alternative to the trans-radial approach (TRA), may offer advantages in terms of access site complications due to its smaller vessel diameter, especially for high bleeding risk (HBR) patients. This study aims to investigate the feasibility of DRA in HBR patients.

Methods: Based on data from the KODRA registry, a prospective, multicenter cohort, this study analyzed 1,586 patients who underwent successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) via DRA.

Therapeutic role of aripiprazole in cartilage defects explored through a drug repurposing approach.

Articular cartilage has a limited regenerative capacity, resulting in poor spontaneous healing of damaged tissue. Despite various scientific efforts to enhance cartilage repair, no single method has yielded satisfactory results. With rising drug development costs, drug repositioning has emerged as a viable alternative.

Supersaturated Gel Formulation (SGF) of Atorvastatin at a Maximum Dose of 80 mg with Enhanced Solubility, Dissolution, and Physical Stability.

The objective of this work was to develop a supersaturated gel formulation (SGF) loaded with the maximum atorvastatin calcium trihydrate (ATR) dose. The maximum dose strength of ATR needs to be reduced through improving solubility and dissolution rate to mitigate side effects due to the necessity of taking high doses. ATR has highly pH-dependent solubility at 37 °C, leading to poor solubility (<10 μg/mL) in stomach acid (pH 1.

Pemetrexed Maintenance versus Observation in Patients with Advanced Urothelial Carcinoma Who Completed First-line Platinum-based Chemotherapy without Disease Progression (PREMIER, KCSG GU16-05).

Purpose: Platinum-based chemotherapy is the standard treatment for advanced urothelial carcinoma (aUC). Switch maintenance therapy after first-line (1L) treatment may delay disease progression. This study evaluated pemetrexed as switch maintenance therapy versus observation in aUC patients without disease progression after initial chemotherapy.

Staged versus immediate complete revascularization for non-culprit arteries in acute myocardial infarction: a post-hoc analysis of FRAME-AMI.

Background And Objectives: The optimal timing for complete revascularization (CR) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and multivessel disease (MVD) remain uncertain.

Methods: This post-hoc analysis of the FRAME-AMI trial included AMI patients with MVD ( = 549). They were classified into immediate ( = 329) and staged CR ( = 220) groups.

Viral-host molecular interactions and metabolic modulation: Strategies to inhibit flaviviruses pathogenesis.

Flaviviruses, which include globally impactful pathogens, such as West Nile virus, yellow fever virus, Zika virus, Japanese encephalitis virus, and dengue virus, contribute significantly to human infections. Despite the ongoing emergence and resurgence of flavivirus-mediated pathogenesis, the absence of specific therapeutic options remains a challenge in the prevention and treatment of flaviviral infections. Through the intricate processes of fusion, transcription, replication, and maturation, the complex interplay of viral and host metabolic interactions affects pathophysiology.

Obstructive sleep apnea subtyping based on apnea and hypopnea specific hypoxic burden is associated with brain aging and cardiometabolic syndrome.

Background: Conventional metrics such as the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) may not fully capture the diverse clinical manifestations of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This study aims to establish a novel OSA subtype classification based on the patterns of apneic and hypopneic hypoxic burden (HB), a potential biomarker that more accurately reflects the severity and duration of respiratory events. We further examined the associations of these HB-based subtypes with cardiometabolic risk and brain health outcomes.

Prevalence of high-risk group for obstructive sleep apnea using the STOP-Bang questionnaire and its association with cardiovascular morbidity.

Objectives: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep-related breathing disorder, yet many cases remain undiagnosed. The STOP-Bang questionnaire was developed to identify individuals at high risk of OSA. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of individuals with suspected OSA using the STOP-Bang risk stratification in the general population of South Korea.

Difference of Parental Level of Concerns on Surgery according to the Perspectives and Characteristic among Pediatrics with Intermittent Exotropia.

Purpose: To evaluate the differences in the level of concerns regarding exotropia surgery according to the perspectives regarding surgery and basic characteristics of parents of pediatric patients with intermittent exotropia in Korea.

Methods: This study included the parents of pediatric patients with intermittent exotropia who underwent surgery at five hospitals, between June 2022 and February 2023. Parental perspectives, basic characteristics, and levels of concern regarding surgery were assessed using a questionnaire.

Optimization of meropenem continuous infusion based on Monte Carlo simulation integrating with degradation study.

Objective: Meropenem degradation poses a challenge to continuous infusion (CI) implementation. However, data about the impact of degradation on the probability of target attainment (PTA) of meropenem has been limited. This study evaluated the stability of meropenem brands and the consequence of in-bottle degradation on PTA in different environmental scenarios.

Influence of prestroke glycemic status on outcomes by age in patients with acute ischemic stroke and diabetes mellitus.

Background: This study aimed to explore the association between admission HbA1c and the risk of 1-year vascular outcomes stratified by age group in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and diabetes mellitus (DM).

Methods: This study analyzed prospective multicenter data from patients with AIS and DM. Admission HbA1C were categorized as:≤6.

Optimizing anesthesia depth to enhance seizure quality during electroconvulsive therapy in major depressive disorder.

This editorial evaluated the findings of a comprehensive study focused on the effects of anesthesia depth on seizure parameters during electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in patients with major depressive disorder. The study utilized quantitative consciousness and quantitative nociceptive indices for monitoring sedation, hypnosis, and nociceptive responses. The analysis included 193 ECT sessions across 24 patients, revealing significant impacts of anesthesia depth on electroencephalography (EEG) seizure parameters.

Cryoballoon Pulmonary Vein Isolation With Versus Without Additional Right Atrial Linear Ablation for Persistent Atrial Fibrillation: The CRALAL Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) alone is less effective in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) compared with those with paroxysmal AF. We investigate whether additional linear ablation from the superior vena cava to the right atrial septum and cavotricuspid isthmus ablation improves the rhythm outcome of patients with persistent AF undergoing cryoballoon PVI (Cryo-PVI).

Methods: In this investigator-initiated, multicenter, randomized clinical trial, 289 patients with persistent AF refractory to antiarrhythmic drug therapy were randomized 1:1 to either Cryo-PVI with additional right atrium (RA) linear ablation or Cryo-PVI alone.

Protective humoral immunity induced by virus-like particles expressing Toxoplasma gondii CST1 or MIC8.

Protective efficacy assessment of toxoplasmosis vaccines, at least at the preclinical level, frequently involves lethal dose challenge infection. Nonetheless, their efficacies remain largely unexplored against low infection doses which better reflects how humans become infected in the real world. In this study, we compared the immunity elicited in mice that were heterologously immunized with recombinant baculovirus and virus-like particles expressing either the cyst wall protein (CST1) or microneme protein 8 (MIC8) of Toxoplasma gondii (T.

Long-term treatment outcomes of popliteal artery entrapment syndrome by the Korean Rare Vascular Ailments Research Experts.

Objective: Popliteal artery entrapment syndrome (PAES) results from an anomalous relationship between the popliteal artery and the myofascial structures of the popliteal fossa. The long-term treatment outcomes are not well-known because of the rarity of the disease. This study aimed to establish a nationwide collective dataset and analyze treatment outcomes.

Assessing the impact of apnea duration on the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and hearing loss.

Objectives: The relationship between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and hearing loss (HL) remains uncertain. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between OSA and HL, and to identify which factors play a key role.

Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of 90 subjects diagnosed with OSA.

Acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic neoplasms: clinical implications of myelodysplasia-related genes mutations and TP53 aberrations.

Purpose: The fifth World Health Organization (WHO) classification (2022 WHO) and International Consensus Classification (ICC) of myeloid neoplasms have recently been published. In this study, patients were reclassified according to the revised classification and their prognoses were analyzed to confirm the clinical utility of the new classifications.

Methods: We included 101 adult patients, 77 with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and 24 with myelodysplastic neoplasms (MDS), who underwent bone marrow aspiration and next-generation sequencing (NGS) between August 2019 and July 2023.

Whole-Body and Segmental Phase Angles and Cognitive Function in the Older Korean Population: Cross-Sectional Analysis.

Background: Recently, the phase angle (PhA) has emerged as an essential indicator of cellular health. Most studies have examined its association with physiological conditions, such as sarcopenia, frailty, and physical function, in older populations. Simultaneously, growing attention is being paid to the clinical relevance of segmental PhAs for future applications.

Automated Pipeline for Robust Cat Activity Detection Based on Deep Learning and Wearable Sensor Data.

The health, safety, and well-being of household pets such as cats has become a challenging task in previous years. To estimate a cat's behavior, objective observations of both the frequency and variability of specific behavior traits are required, which might be difficult to come by in a cat's ordinary life. There is very little research on cat activity and cat disease analysis based on real-time data.